Saving The Joker
by Ella Lola
Summary: Amu Hinamori has been having side-effects from purifying X-Eggs: Exhaustion, Fevers, Fainting and Nightmares. Ikuto has been released from Easter, being told that he's not good enough for their main plan and that he's free to leave. Whats Easters plan?
1. A Guardian Meeting

_Too much of the same stories in our lives  
I think it's time for change, don't you?  
Too much of the same stories in our lives  
(I think it's time for us to walk away from here)_

_Stories, Trapt_

To say that Hinamori Amu was tired would be an understatement. She was exhausted. The pinkette sat at her seat in the Royal Garden, watching Yaya stuff her face with brownies while Tadase and Kairi totalled the results of the days X-Egg hunt as Rima sipped her tea.

'Good job Hinamori-san! That was over sixty X-Eggs you purified, without Mashiro-san's help.' Tadase complimented in awe as Rima nodded in agreement.

'I'm sorry I couldn't help. My family doctor said that I have to keep all of my weight off my foot for two months, so I can't transform...' Rima sighed sadly, looking at her crutches distastefully.

Earlier in the week during Seiyo Sports Day, Amu and Rima had been playing volleyball for the Star Class when Saaya threw a solid gold volleyball at Rima. Amu had to chara-change with Ran and pull Rima out of the way, but the ball clipped her foot at the last moment, successfully breaking her ankle.

Yaya looked up from the now empty brownie plate. 'Rima-tan is lucky to be alive!' she shouted wide-eyed and wildly waved her arms around.

'That stuck up bitch needs to be put in her place.' Rima growled, glaring a hole into the circular table.

'Wherever her place is, make sure it's far away from me.' Amu yawned while watching her chara's build a sugar cube tower in amusement. Kairi cleared his voice, catching everyone's attention.

'This week's purification total is one hundred and thirty-five hearts eggs. Today the Joker broke her personal best of fifty-three purifications in a day with today's total of sixty-four.' Kairi announced while pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

'Congratulations Hinamori-san.' Tadase smiled proudly as Yaya gasped loudly.

'Sixty-four! Yaya thinks that Amu-chi is awesome! Yaya wants to do Open Heart too!' she exclaimed loudly as she made a heart with her hands and pointed it at the empty brownie plate.

'Yuiki-san, you to be able to perform Open Heart, you need to discover how to transform first.' Kairi stated, while filing the new data into a folder. Yaya pouted and pulled a lollipop out of her bag to stop herself from throwing a fit. Pepe did the same.

'That would be the end of today's Guardian meeting, remember to brainstorm some ideas for what flowers should be planted in the flower garden near the gates of the school.' Tadase informed everyone. 'Hinamori-san, could you stay back for a minute? I need to talk to you.' Amu slowly nodded. All she wanted to do was go home, have some aspirin and take a nap, and now she was delayed longer. She sighed and ran her fingers through her fuchsia hair; today was not her day.

'Amu-chan! Amu-chan!' Ran shouted and flailed her pom-poms around cheerfully, giving Amu a migraine. 'All of the chara's are staying at Rima's house to help cheer her up!'

'Rima tried to invite the Guardians, but her parents wouldn't let her.' Miki mumbled from behind her sketchbook, while tiredly peering over and smiling at her.

'Can we go and take Dia's egg-desu? She might see how much fun we're having and hatch-desu!' Suu added while fiddling with the hem of her green dress.

Amu nodded and reached into her bag to retrieve her fourth chara egg. She gazed fondly at the diamond egg and felt a smile come to her lips. The golden surface without the black X symbolised that she had taken another step to becoming the self she wanted to be. She carefully placed the hearts egg onto her red handkerchief.

'If you drop Dia's egg or break anything, I'll flush you down the toilet.' She threatened half-heartedly as she watched her chara's pick up the corners of the handkerchief and check that the diamond egg was safe and secure.

'Yes Amu-chan!' they chorused as they flew over to the other chara's and left the Royal Garden with the rest of the Guardians, leaving Tadase and Amu alone.

'Hinamori-san, I was wondering if you could come with me for some ice cream in the park. I have a very important thing I need to talk to you about.' Tadase asked quickly, looking like he was about to explode with the information that he wanted to tell her.

Amu yawned; she couldn't even imagine walking all the way to the _park_. It was in the complete opposite direction of her house, away from her bed where she wanted to sleep the rest of the day away in. 'Sorry Tadase-kun, I'm too bus-'

'Okay, let's go.' Tadase butted in. He quickly grabbed Amu's wrist and half dragged her out of the Royal Garden, Amu being too tired to protest.

**(A/N:**

**Ah! That took me **_**ages **_**to write! I had the idea and everything all figured out but I just couldn't put it down on paper! Well that and I went on exchange to Japan! Even though I do french in class I was allowed to go because they had about 7 spots open. To sum it up: It was awesome.**

**So, did you like the chapter so far? I know Tadase was a little OC at the end of the chapter, but he **_**really, really, really **_**needs to talk to Amu about...something. Keep on reading to find out! Was the chapter awesome, did it fail, do you want to catch me on fire? I need to know these things so I can improve on my writing.**

**-Ezra)**


	2. Dizzy Spells and Speculations

_So are you listening?  
So are you watching me?  
Well I can't pretend that I don't see this  
But it's really not your fault  
When no one cares to talk about it (to talk about it)_

_Emergency, Paramore_

Kazuomi sat in his black leather armchair in the darkness of the shadowed room, staring at his step-sons perplexed expression.

'You heard me Ikuto Tsukiyomi; I am returning your violin. You are not good enough for Easter's main plan to capture the Embryo, and are relieved of all your duties and ties to Easter. You no longer work for us.' he said in his gravelly voice as it echoed through the silent room gesturing to the pure white violin case on his desk.

Ikuto silently walked up to the mahogany desk and popped open the violin case and checked that everything was in its place. Yoru sniffed the inside of the case and nodded; confirming that no one had tampered with the violin or anything else inside the case. Ikuto hoisted the violin case onto his shoulder and walked towards the door, stopping before he opened it.

'Don't expect me to come back.'

* * *

Amu held her chocolate ice cream and felt the untouched dessert drip over her fingers, but she couldn't care less. She was dead on her feet and could feel her skin burning up in a fever, making her feel too sick to even look at the frozen dessert.

'Um, Hinamori-san...' Tadase began after five minutes of silence.

'Yes Tadase-kun?' Amu said stiffly, not wanting to moan out the words in pain and make the princely boy concerned.

'Remember when I told you at the ski resort that I had fallen in love with Amulet Heart?' he whispered softly, his platinum blonde hair hanging over his face. Amu winced, she clearly remembered that moment. The day that one of her closest friends that liked confessed his love for her, in a way that was impossible to return.

'Yeah, I remember that.' she mumbled, averting her gaze to the ground. How could she forget the day that her crush had informed her that he had fallen for a personality so unlike her own?

'I found someone, who has a similar personality to Amulet Heart's.' he smiled and took a lick of his vanilla ice cream. 'Yesterday my grandmother asked me to go and congratulate a family friend on publishing his first cooking book on her behalf, and that's when I saw her. She was so pretty, creative, full of imagination- and proud of it too. Her name is Lulu de Morcef, and also has a chara called Nana.' Tadase pulled a picture out of his pocket, revealing a beautiful girl with long blonde curls and sparkling light blue eyes. Amu smiled, she looked like the perfect match for the polite boy.

'She's a lucky girl, and I hope you're happy with her. Did you ask her out?' Amu asked softly, feeling happy for one of her closest friends. She was glad that he had fallen for someone who could return his love.

'Y-Yes, we're going to the movies next Sunday to see a movie of her choice.' he stuttered feeling a blush rise up to his cheeks. She smiled at his blushing face and tried to ignore the burning sensation in her lungs and stood up, placing her bag over her shoulder.

'I have to be home before my parents and Ami come home.' she lied. 'I'll see you on Monday Tadase-kun.'

'Until then, goodbye.' Tadase nodded, satisfied with how the conversation had gone.

Amu walked away from Tadase's cheerful form as he continued to sit in the daylight and eat his ice cream. As Amu turned around the corner, she dropped the fully melted ice cream behind a bush and collapsed in front of a tree, exhausted from the energy used to keep her composure.

'I need to be stronger than this' she panted heavily. As her vision blurred and spun into darkness, she swore she could see a figure running towards her.

* * *

'_You are not good enough for Easter's main plan to capture the Embryo, and are relieved of all your duties and ties to Easter. You no longer work for us.'_

Kazuomi's final words echoed through Ikuto's head as he walked through the park, with Yoru hovering next to him nibbling on a sardine. The young violin prodigy shifted his violin case on his back enjoying the familiar weight of the instrument on his back, and frowned. He was amazed at the fact that Easter had finally freed Utau and himself from their control, but Kazuomi's last words to him still bothered him. Kazuomi had clearly stated that Easter was still working towards capturing the Embryo but had found someone else to perform the task, which led to his main confusion: Why would Easter dismiss its two main pawns when they had the most control and power over them?

Ikuto turned around a corner and jogged up to a grassy hill with a single ancient cherry blossom tree rooted at the highest point of the hill. He jogged up the hill and sat down, leaning against the trunk of the tree. He pulled the white violin case onto his lap, and opened it with the softest of touches. He brushed his fingers against the ebony frame of his father's violin and gently turned it over and traced the Latin inscription on the neck of the violin.

_Dux ducis per porta lunae lux, ad a mundo per libertas._

Guided by moonlight, towards a world with freedom.

He had finally found his freedom, so why didn't he feel like he deserved it? Ikuto stood up, propped his violin under his chin and readied his bow above the strings, about to play, when a flash of pink caught his eye.

'Ikuto-nya, I can see Amu!' Yoru pointed out, clearly stating the obvious as he finished eating his sardine. Ikuto watched and lowered his violin as he saw Amu walk around the corner and towards his sanctuary. He put his violin back into his case and was about to make his presence known to the high schooler, when he saw her stumble over to a nearby tree and collapse against the trunk.

'Yoru, Character Change.' Ikuto commanded and felt two cat ears and a tail sprout from his body as he sprinted towards Amu's collapsed form, worry and shock coursing through his body.

'Amu doesn't have any of her chara's with her-nya...' Yoru sulked as Ikuto approached the pinkette. He knelt down in front of her and touched her red cheeks, jerking his hand back from the intense heat. He immediately noticed her breathing had increased in pace and the dark circles under her eyes. He knew enough from health class to know that Amu was ill, and it wasn't just a one day fever.

He carefully scooped her up in his arms and felt his tail protectively curl around her small waist. He could hear her small heartbeat thumping against his chest. Ikuto retrieved his violin and leapt tree to tree and rooftop to rooftop, towards the Hinamori household thinking of nothing else but the health and safety of the girl in his arms.

**

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**

A/N:

**Aw, so Tadase found love 3 My friend was a little freaked out that Lulu and Tadase ended out as a couple, and was saying stuff about how they looked related and stuff. Who would you couple Tadase with, without adding a new character? I would've said Nadeshiko, but I don't think Rima would be too happy with that, huh? :P**

**With the inscription on Ikuto's violin, it is written in **_**incredibly **_**dodgy Latin. I personally didn't know any Latin before this, so correct me if I'm wrong. (I literally Googled each individual word)**

**Hope you enjoy! **

**-Ezra 8D**


	3. Fevers and Piano's

_Can, can, can you imagine a time when the truth ran free  
The birth of a song and the death of a dream  
Closer to the edge  
This never ending story  
Paid for with pride and fate  
We all fall short of glory  
Lost in our fate_

_Closer to the Edge, 30 Seconds to Mars_

Ikuto approached the Hinamori household at high speeds, cradling Amu in his arms. He leapt up onto her balcony and slid open the glass door, gaining entrance to her room and immediately noticed the drastic changes since he last saw her room. After all, how couldn't he?

The once baby pink walls of Amu's room were now a deep red and her wooden floor was covered by a black carpet, removing the bright and childish feel of her room . Her baby blue wardrobe was painted a dark purple with lots of pictures of the Guardians and Amu pinned to the doors. He frowned; it was almost as if her room was caving in to her outer personality.

Ikuto carefully laid Amu onto her queen-sized bed and took off her blazer, to help reduce her fever and immediately noticed her laboured breathing in the silent house. His breath caught. Her house should be anything but silent; her huge up-to-date file of data at Easter proved that her whole family were due home half an hour ago.

'Yoru, watch over Amu. Tell me if she wakes up or if her fever gets worse.' he said over his shoulder, walking out of Amu's room and down the stairs, making his way to the kitchen. He shuffled through her fridge, noticing all that was in there was a huge bowl of chicken soup, a chocolate cake, a fruit salad and various other drinks. Shouldn't there be more in her fridge to feed a family of five?

'Ikuto-nya, her fridge is so empty-nya!' Yoru exclaimed in his squeaky voice as he hovered over Ikuto's shoulder, staring wide-eyed at the fridge.

'Why aren't you watching over Amu?' he said in a monotone, his eyes clearly betraying his voice showing concern and worry. 'Did her fever increase?'

'No-nya, it's the same as when you left, but her breathing got smoother-nya.' Yoru reported, lazily rubbing his eye with his paw. Ikuto let out a barely audible sigh. Hopefully Amu would recover from her fever soon, and he could find out why she was so foolish to walk around with a high fever without her chara's.

Making a mental note to himself about the contents of the refrigerator, he shut the door and left to explore the lounge room when a small flashing light caught his attention. Ikuto turned around to see a cordless telephone sitting on a table and Yoru staring at the red flashing button. Before Ikuto could send his chara back to watch Amu instead of staring at the red light, Yoru's paw shot out and slammed down on the button, causing the flashing to stop. Yoru was about to shout to ask Ikuto if saw him 'catch' the light, when a voice sounded from the phone.

'_You have a total of two messages. Message received today, at three fourteen pm.' _The robotic voice sounded through the room. Ikuto walked up to the phone curiously, Yoru close behind.

'_Hello Amu-chan! It's Mama. Sorry that you're not home: We wanted to tell you what happened today in Tokyo.'_

Ikuto's eyes slightly widened. _Tokyo?_ That was a good six days drive away. Why was her family there, leaving Amu home alone? Wasn't that illegal?

'_Ami had her first photo shoot and the photographers loved her! We'll be staying at the Sakura Hotel, so call for us there or call my mobile. Papa says no boys, but between you and me, you can have friends over as long as you keep the house clean and ask me for permission if you're having a sleepover so I know where to contact you. Ami misses you so much, she really wants to see you. Stay safe and well and I'll call again tomorrow. Remember to have the house clean for Sunday. Love you Amu.' _

'Ikuto-nya, what's happening on Sunday?' Yoru inquired from Ikuto's shoulder, still feeling rather proud that he caught the red light.

'Why should I know?' he replied, 'I thought you would know, since you follow Miki around all the time.' Yoru blushed as the voice recording continued.

'_The second message was received today at four twenty-one pm.'_

'_Good Afternoon Amu-san, Tsukasa here.'_

Ikuto immediately felt pissed off. Why was Kiddy Kings _Uncle _calling _Amu_ after school? Even though Ikuto didn't mind the guy, his link to Tadase clearly made him want to break something. As the principal, he shouldn't even need to call her personally- he could just speak to her at school. Another thing he noted was that he left the message solely for Amu. Did he _know _that she was currently living on her own?

'_Just reminding you that I'm dropping by in two days time to see how you're doing, living on your own with your chara's without your family. Midori-san has told me that I'm to tell her if the house is in proper condition and how you are dealing with things. Keep in touch Amu, I'll see you on Sunday.'_

'Amu is living alone-nya, is that allowed?' Yoru mumbled with his hands over his cheeks in an attempt to hide his heated face.

'No.' Ikuto immediately answered. He didn't know much about law, but he knew that Amu definitely shouldn't be living alone. After all she was only...only...

Ikuto immediately felt flustered, but kept his blank expression. How old _was_ Amu? That part of her file was covered in barbeque sauce that Nikaidou spilt when he was working for Easter. He couldn't estimate how old she was from the school she goes to; Seiyo was a kindergarten, elementary school, and high school in one. Tsukasa had long ago decided that it would be a waste of space for it to just be one, with the building being the size of a castle and all.

He saved the voicemail for Amu to listen to later, feeling slightly awkward that he had accidentally snooped into her business without her permission. He walked into the kitchen to find some Aspirin, which Yoru sniffed out for him while Ikuto poured Amu a glass of cold water. Together they walked up the stairs in a comfortable silence, back to Amu's room when they heard a low groan.

Ikuto rushed up the remaining stairs and burst into Amu's room to find her tangled in her bed sheets groaning and panting.

'I thought you told me she _stopped_ panting.' Ikuto growled as he quickly put down the glass of water on her desk and placed his hand on her forehead, just to quickly pull away from the heat. 'Her fever is worse too.'

'She was fine when I left her-nya!' Yoru shouted angrily, upset that he allowed Amu's fever to get worse. He had tried his best, wanting to help his owner take care of someone he cares about, whether he knew it or not.

Ikuto sighed and brushed some stray locks of Amu's fuchsia hair behind her ear, while she groaned and mumbled nonsense while twisting around on the bed sheets. 'It doesn't matter Yoru, I'm getting the feeling that for this fever to end, Amu is going to need to ride it out.'

* * *

Amu stood in a darkened room, dressed in a silky strapless dress that hugged her curves perfectly, observing her newfound surroundings. The last time she had arrived in the dimly lit black room, there has been a blood red bass guitar leaning against a huge amp, but now a pitch black piano was in its place. She heard muttered voices hidden in the dark, but it didn't bother her as much as the last time she had paid a visit.

'It's been a while Amu.' a soft voice said, making Amu look to her right to see her fourth chara, Dia hovering next to her with a small yet radiant smile on her tiny face. Amu couldn't help but return the smile. She walked towards the sleek piano and fondly ran her fingers over the ivory keys, pressing down on a C# hearing it echo through the room. She softly giggled as the muttered voices sped up their chatter excitedly. She sat down on the cushioned black piano stool and released the note and looked at her golden chara with a tiny lopsided smile, which the chara returned.

'I haven't played the piano before, let alone a grand piano.' Amu said while stretching her arms and hearing a satisfying crack. Dia floated down and sat on the sheet music ledge, keeping an eye on her owner as Amu tested out various keys and chords, experimenting through sound and remembering past music theory lessons from class.

'It doesn't matter if you've never played Amu. You never played the bass before or even a guitar last time, but you still showed your true radiance while putting on a performance to remember. Put your mind out there and play your heart: Your audience is waiting.' Dia murmured as she looked Amu in the eyes, as a careful reminder of who she was going to play for. Amu nodded and returned her full attention to the ivory keys. She held her breath, placed her fingers on the keys, and played.

A haunting melody echoed through the room as Amu's fingers clashed against the ivory keys, dancing along them and creating a wicked tune. She flinched at the sound of it and found it hard to believe that she was creating the sound. It reminded her of the sorrowful melody that was played during funerals. The sound itself just wrapped around her and filled her with hopelessness and self-hate that made her eyes dim and feel like she was losing hersel-

'Amu. Snap out of it.' Dias soft voice cut through her negative thoughts like a blade. Amu blinked and quickly withdrew her fingers from the keys. 'Your under negative influence. Play your song, your hearts melody. Play the feelings that make you yourself, and yourself only.'

Once again Amu placed her fingers on the ivory keys, but this time before playing she cleared her mind of any negative influence and sat in silence when her eyes shot open. She felt power stream through her fingers and up her arms, and her mouth popped open in a small 'o'.

A character transformation? No, the familiar pure white light was nowhere to be seen. Her golden eyes trailed down to Dia's as her both of their smiles widened, acknowledging the improvement. Dia nodded her head as she watched her owner press down on the keys: She was in the right state of mind, her radiance at its strongest.

The melody was pure and untainted, strong yet gentle as Amu's fingers danced along the ivory keys. She could feel Dias gentle yet powerful aura with her, her presence securing her state of mind as she protected her radiance from the dark. She could feel the air become lighter as the darkness began to withdraw and dissolve, leaving gentle pinks, brazen oranges and royal blue mist in its place. Amu couldn't help but be reminded of a watercolour sunset. With a smile she ended the melody with a G, feeling the sound of the note echo through the room leaving silence that was soon broken as she heard her chara applaud her performance.

'See Amu, you are able to release your inner radiance without a Character Change.' Dia praised as the floated onto Amu's bare shoulder, comfortably sitting down. Amu stretched her arms and gave her chara a small grin.

'That was amazing, is that how you feel when you listen to music?' Amu asked curiously, tracing the shape of the piano keys with her index finger.

'Think about it Amu, I am one of your Shugo Chara's. My passion in music and to be an idol is your passion also.' Dia's tinkly laugh echoed through the room.

'A-An idol?' Amu spluttered, feeling heat rush up to her cheeks while Dia continued to giggle on her shoulder while happily swinging her legs forward and back.

'Utau's music inspired you, you can't lie to me.' Amu bit her lip to stop her futile attempt to lie to her chara, when a thought popped into her mind.

'Dia, why won't you hatch yet?' she mumbled softly, her fuchsia hair hanging over her eyes. Dia stopped swinging her legs mid-swing and comfortably crossed her dainty legs.

'The time will come soon, Amu. Be patient...though the cake Suu is attempting to lure me out with is incredibly tempting. I always loved cherries.' Dia smiled softly, running her fingers through her long orange hair while licking her tiny lips. Amu laughed at her predicament. Dia flew off Amu's shoulder and hovered in front of her owner, her hands behind her back.

'Close your eyes Amu, it's time for you to wake up to reality.' Dia commanded, as Amu nodded and shut her eyes. 'Also, your fever is still raging its own war on your body, as a consequence of overworking but don't worry. You're in safe hands and will recover soon.'

Before Amu could question Dia what she was talking about, she felt her knees buckle and her eyes snap open to reveal the light purple ceiling of her room. She immediately sat up, but regretted it as her vision went dizzy, forcing her to lie back down onto her bed.

'Living alone away from your family and getting so sick that you pass out in parks without your chara's, what have you been up to?' a husky male voice sounded through the room that was incredibly familiar. Amu drowsily turned her head to meet the sapphire eyes of the one and only Ikuto Tsukiyomi, nonchalantly standing in the middle of her room.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Instead of finishing off my maths project, I decided to write this chapter :9

**I was putting off writing the rest of the chapter, because I wanted to know what the ledge on the piano that you keep your sheet music on was called, so instead of calling it the '**_**music stand thingamajig' **_**which sounds ultra dodgy, I called it the music sheet ledge. Does anyone know what it's actually called? **

**How did the whole scene with Dia and Amu go? Did it confuse you about what was happening? It was supposed to, so tell me what you thought was happening x3**

**-Ezra**


	4. Visions and Truths

_Change your Visions, give us a sound;  
Keep your ears to the ground.  
Lost your mind, and out of control..._

_Visions, Pendulum_

Suu was angry. She could understand Daichi not understanding, but Ran clearly knew that she loathed mess, let alone mud. She glared at the two chara's running forward and back across Rima's dining room table, leaving muddy footprints behind them onto the once pure white tablecloth. She flew down to the two chara's, preparing to give the lecture of a lifetime, when she stopped in mid air and her emerald eyes widened.

Off to the side of the table on Amu's favourite red handkerchief, Dia's egg was placed securely. But the thing that made the emerald chara freeze was when the golden egg began to twitch side to side. With forgotten intentions towards Ran and Daichi, she changed course and landed to the side of Dia's egg. Suu slowly walked around the perimeter of the egg, her puffy green dress bouncing as she carefully searched the surface for any cracks. She couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment when she found none. She placed her tiny hands on the smooth surface of the egg and began to talk to her sister's dormant egg.

'Dia-desu? Everyone is having fun at Rima's house; you should hatch too and have fun too-desu.' Suu whispered softly to her sister's egg and paused for a second, in hopes of hearing a response. After hearing none, she continued.

'No one has seen what you look like without bearing an X and we're all curious and excited to finally meet you-desu. All you need to do is hatch-desu.' she coaxed, feeling slightly foolish but continued to wait for her sister to make a notion that she was listening. After a minute of silence Suu could feel her determination wearing thin.

'I'm going to make a chocolate cherry cake that I designed with Miki yesterday, when we both got inspired by the fluffy white clouds in the sky-desu. I made the recipe perfect, and Miki made the design beautiful, we made samples in Amu's kitchen while she was asleep. We already ate them since Amu was as asleep as a rock-desu. The cake is soft, spongy and has the most wonderful melt-in-your-mouth texture, while the vanilla frosting is light and fluffy like the clouds-desu! On top of the frosting is a circle of cherries dipped in chocolate-desu.' Suu snapped out of her daydream as she realised that she was rambling.

'Dia, if you hatch today I'll give you an extra big piece with extra cherries-desu,' she bribed, feeling a little disappointed in the fact that she had resorted to the low level of bribery. She sighed and rested her forehead on the eggshell, eyes closed when her eyes flashed open and her iris changed from emerald to amber, to and Suu's shock, she could see from her sister's perspective.

She sitting in darkness, listening to the saddest and most twisted music that Suu had ever heard. She could feel Dia's concern and shock at the horror filled melody that was filled with despair. She could hear Dia' voice resonate through her mind.

'_Amu. Snap out of it. You're under negative influence. Play your song, your hearts melody. Play the feelings that make you yourse__lf and yourself only.'_

Suu smiled at Dia's voice. She had never heard her sister's actual voice before, but just listening to her voice alone showed that she was wise, gentle and powerful. Hearing Amu's name concerned her to no end. _Amu-chan was playing th__at twisted song? It couldn't be,_ Suu thought, brushing away all thoughts on the matter. She heard the music cease in her mind and couldn't help but feel relieved that the song was finished. The song itself made her feel like she was drowning in a river of depression.

She heard silence from Dia's mind and was about to withdraw when Dia's sort-of-radar felt a power surge from across the town in the vague direction of Amu's house. Suu was immediately confused. Why couldn't _she _feel the power surge? And if there was a power surge, it shouldn't be Amu- she was recently always asleep after she came home from school.

She withdrew one eye from Dia's perspective and looked around Rima's dining room at Ran and Daichi. To Suu's supreme horror they were still running forward and back across the poor once-white tablecloth, now playing rugby with an almond. They obliviously hadn't felt the power surge; if they had they would be screaming and flying towards the surge themselves faster than Utau can glomp Ikuto with the factor of super speed.

Instead of flying over to the two chara's in a fury and giving them a verbal beating about taking off their shoes after they go outside and play in the mud, Suu turned back towards Dia's egg. She pulled her other eye back to Dia's perspective and paid attention to the power surge that she was feeling. Suddenly the most beautiful melody that Suu had ever heard drifted through Suu's mind and refreshed her senses.

She smiled at the melody and lingered for a second to listen to it before she withdrew her hands and forehead from Dia's egg. Suu gazed fondly at her sister's golden egg. Who knew that even her sister's dormant egg could be helping their owner in their slumber? Suu flew towards Rima's kitchen; feeling overjoyed about her discovery with her sister and was completely in the mood to make the world's best chocolate cherry cake when a piercing yell shattered her thoughts.

'TOUCHDOWN!' Ran screamed, crushing the almond into the muddy tablecloth while Daichi demanded a rematch, shouting about how she somehow cheated as Ran laughed in his face. Suu froze in anger, remembering the suffering tablecloth and took off towards the two sporty chara's with the full intention to give a lecture that would haunt them in their sleep for weeks to come.

'I'll ask one question at a time. First off, why were you walking home alone, sick without your chara's?' Ikuto waited for her response as he stared shamelessly at the pinkette on her bed, while she looked like she just saw a kitten get run over by a tank. He didn't understand his desperate craving for information, but some part of him deep inside needed to know what exactly happened. Especially since from what he'd seen Amu's fevers were definitely something that happened regularly, based on her reactions and health.

'I-I...' she stuttered, feeling trapped as her eyes darted around the room looking for an exit. 'I w-went to school today a-and...'

'And?' he prompted, tilting his head slightly to the side with an ever present smirk on his lips, waiting for her answer.

'A-And I... felt dizzy and was going h-home after school, when I suddenly f-felt sick and fainted.' she mumbled, a heavy blush rising to her cheeks as she suddenly became incredibly interested in her blanket and fidgeted with the edges.

'That sounds...' he looked expectantly at Amu as she suddenly held her breath and stopped pulling at the edges of her blanket. 'Reasonable, I guess.' She let out a heavy sigh and continued to harass her blanket.

'But wouldn't your chara's come home with you if you felt sick?' he mused aloud. Amu hung her head and Ikuto couldn't help but watch in fascination as her soft pink hair hung over her face, hiding her eyes as it settled to hang and brush her flushed cheeks. The same soft pink hair that brushed up against his collarbone with every step he took less than an hour ago. Ikuto felt an incredibly soft blush rise to his cheeks and was thankful that his complexion didn't flush easily.

'I lied to them,' she muttered bitterly, her lips curling in distaste at the words. 'I hate lying and I hate liars, yet I've done that exact thing every day for most of my life. Ironic, huh.'

'You lied to your Guardian characters?' he repeated, desperately hoping that he had heard wrong. It was unheard of to lie to your would-be-selves and just sounded wrong. After all, why would you need to lie to the figures that represented yourself and your dreams?

'I-I said that I was just exhausted from purifying X-Eggs. When I'm tired my cheeks flush so Ran, Miki and Suu didn't see anything that contradicted what I said.' Amu said while letting out a long yawn, showing Ikuto her incredibly white, sharp teeth as her eyes slightly drooped, which was odd. Most people don't feel tired after screaming in their sleep and after a huge confession was stated, but then again, Amu was no average girl.

Ikuto didn't have anything to say to what Amu had confessed to, so he just nodded and went to warm up two bowls of chicken soup for Amu and himself, but not before reaching out and running his fingers through her soft pink hair as he walked out. He felt a foreign warm and fuzzy feeling ignite in his chest and flow through to his fingers and toes while he descended the stairs. A feeling that he wanted to feel a lot more often.

* * *

**(A/N**

**Alas, the update has occurred and the holidays have arrived! Such a joyous time has arrived, full of sunshine and happiness with dancing polar bears and tap-dancing penguins doing the tango with vegetarian lions! Such a joyous day indeed with free cookies and ice cream! Hurrah!**

…

**Sorry I had a week of drama. What's up people of the world?**

***Grins* I FINALLY UPDATED! And I'm rather proud of that fact too. I also put a little bit of my inner sarcasm in this chapter (just a little bit) so tell me if you want more of that jazz or not :9**

**Also, what do you think will happen?**

**...and yes, you may have those free cookies and ice cream, I know you were itching to ask xD**

** -Ezra)**


	5. Laughing Fits and Recruiting Forces

_I try to make it through my life  
In my way  
There's you  
I try to make it through these lies  
And that's all I do  
Just don't deny it  
Don't try to fight this  
And deal with it  
And that's just part of it_

_I Don't Care, Apocalytica_

_Sitting down and being cared for had never been so hard_, Amu thought wistfully as Ikuto's form disappeared from sight. She couldn't feel as if a little weight had been lifted off her heart as she told Ikuto a little bit of the truth, and felt a grim smile pull at the corner of her lips. She was both proud and disappointed in herself as she realised that the few words that they had exchanged had been the first time in a while that the pure truth had past her lips. Well, apart from her talks with Dia, which even she didn't fully understand.

She sighed; at least she was truly confused at those times. It was a nice change instead of pretending to be the Cool n Spicy Hinamori Amu from Seiyo who apparently enslaved schools and cities in her coolness and pure skill at everything. She was naturally accompanied by her parents in the shadows who had contacts with the FBI, but naturally had awesome daytime jobs, that added to her amazing and flawless personality.

The rumours were both annoying and amusing, and Amu was glad that they had recently taken a turn for the funnier side. It gave her something to listen to in class when she wasn't sleeping, but pretending to sleep so she didn't have to verify any of them. She felt like smashing her head against the wall; even her _body language_ was lying to everyone around her.

But then again, Ikuto wasn't everyone.

Ikuto didn't go to her school. Ikuto never believed the rumours that seemed to drift to every school in the region about her. Ikuto never judged her, as she never judged him. And Ikuto _certainly _didn't scream 'Cool n Spicy!' as if he had won the lottery every single time she walked into the room, or made a sarcastic or awkward comment.

At her last thought she burst into giggles. She almost wished he _did _scream that just once, so she could bring it up the next time he made her flustered around the Guardians.

A small blue blur sped into the room that Amu soon identified to be Yoru when she noticed it had golden eyes similar to her own and a sardine in its mouth. He halted in the middle of the room when he saw her laughing in the middle of her bed with tears streaming down her face from laughing too hard. His mouth popped open and the fish fell to the carpet with a squishy thud.

'Ikuto-nya! Ikuto-nya! Something's wrong with Amu!' he shrieked in his high-pitched squeaky voice, and flew around in a circle before speeding out the door, making Amu laugh harder, successfully giving her a headache while more tears streamed down her face. She heard a clatter and crash from downstairs, and Ikuto sprinted into her room to see Amu giggling into a pillow in an attempt to muffle her giggles.

Ikuto chuckled. 'More like something right.' She could feel the bed sink slightly down as Ikuto sat down on the corner of her bed. 'Do you find something amusing, Strawberry?'

Amu pulled the pillow away from her flushed face and shook her head, looking into Ikuto's deep blue eyes. 'Nothing to be concerned about, but some Aspirin would be useful.'

'Only if you eat.' he bribed, and Amu was more than willing to oblige to eat whatever food Ikuto had in mind. Whenever she had dreams featuring Dia, she always felt more cheerful afterwards and _incredibly _hungry.

'Suu made some chicken soup yesterday, so you don't have to cook.' Amu offered, feeling her stomach silently churn when she said chicken, as if it was refusing a mere chicken and was demanding a cow instead.

'Already prepared,' he said while smirking. Ikuto stood up and walked towards the door. 'Come downstairs after you get changed.' he added. Amu frowned.

'Why would I need to get changed?' she asked curiously, causing a smirk to slide onto Ikuto's lips and his eyes sparkle in amusement.

'Most people don't sleep in their school uniform.' he stated and walked out of the room, with Yoru trailing behind him with the sardine back in his mouth. Amu knew that nothing gross would be on the fish- Suu cleaned the house daily to remove any form of dirt, dust, paint and everything else that she needed to clean and always did a thorough job.

She looked down at her uniform. Her usually ironed white shirt was all crumpled and had a few grass stains on it. Amu guessed that was from when she had passed out in the park. Her plaid red skirt was in a worse state, as it was also crumpled and had dirt smeared on the side. Once Amu paid attention to her clothes, she could feel the sting of her studded black belt jutting into her stomach.

She stumbled out of bed and flung open her purple closet, and pulled out a black hoodie with the word AMU printed in red on the back, accompanied by the number thirteen. It always had been her favourite number. She also chose a pair of black yoga pants that her mother had given her and a white shirt with a cupcake hastily drawn in it.

While putting on her clothes she realised that her body felt like it had been caught on fire and run over by a truck. She was grateful that her happiness warded off most of the pain. Her mother always told her laughter always was the best medicine, and mothers were always strangely right. While Amu pondered the psychic ability of her mother her phone rang out once. It was the sound of a sword smashing against a shield, instantly notifying Amu that Kairi had texted her. She looked around the room and saw her black shoulder back with her trademark red X sitting on her desk chair that had her blazer hung on the back. She assumed Ikuto has placed it there and pulled her phone out of the front pocket, feeling exited and curious as to what the Jack had to say.

_Joker, my sister has informed me that an old source from Easter accidentally told her that Tsukiyomi Ikuto has been released from their services earlier today._

Amu stared at the small screen and blinked once, then twice. Ikuto was...free? She felt a soft smile slip onto her lips and a little bit of warmth spark in her chest. Ikuto was free and had gotten his wish and yet he was still acting all nonchalant about it. A little part of her wondered if he had captured the Embryo, but thought against it. If he had, every chara could detect the power source on their sort-of-radar. She read on.

_If you catch sight of him, as you are the most likely person to find him, notify him that he is no longer an enemy of the Guardians as a whole, but the King still acknowledges him as an enemy. He is welcome, along with Hoshina Utau, to join Guardian Meetings as the King has sworn that he will not attack Tsukiyomi-san. My sister and Yuu Nikaidou will also be joining Guardian Meetings, as we all want to stop Easter once and for all. Kukai will also be joining Guardian Meetings from now on as his soccer season has ended. These new additions to the Guardians have been acquired as Easter has devised a new plan and we will need all the assistance we can receive to end this._

_A more detailed report will be put forward on an emergency Saturday Guardian Meeting at 9:45am. Tsukiyomi Ikuto's and your own presence will be needed. If it helps, Utau has promised to behave around her brother._

_Jacks Chair- Kairi Sanjo_

She was amazed that Kairi could be formal throughout the whole message, and almost snorted when he wrote that a more detailed version would be discussed. For Amu, that was detailed enough. She was thankful that he hadn't resorted to shortened sentences or she wouldn't have fully understood how serious and monumental Saturday's meeting would be.

Instead of just the five official Guardians; Kukai, Utau, Ikuto, Yukari and Nikaidou-sensei would be joining the Guardian meetings from now on. That doubled their numbers, _and _they had Tsukasa's wisdom and foresight if they needed it. Amu sat down on the black carpet and stared out of her balcony window.

Things were getting serious, and the battles were bound to get fiercer. She should be able to deal with purifying X-Eggs easier with Utau and Ikuto's help, as they could both Chara Transform, and Utau could purify X-Eggs with Angels Cradle almost as well as Open Heart worked for herself. Nikaidou-sensei and Yukari would be able to give insight into what Easter might be up to, from the point of view as past Easter employees. Kukai would be able to give emotional support, as he usually did with his naturally cheerful and positive attitude towards life, with the added bonus of his Chara Transformation Sky Jack.

As Amu watched a stray pigeon jump from branch to branch, she couldn't help but think about how just one text message had notified her about how the battle between the Guardians and Easter was going to be intense, and with the added members, was going to make the journey even more memorable.

The pigeon jumped off the branch into clear air and dropped, but soon soared into the sky and joined its fellow pigeon friends. Or could it be its family? Amu observed the pigeons flutter across the sky in a scattered flock and realised that the battles before had been just child's play. The worst was yet to come.


	6. Analyzing and Talking

_There's a science to fear  
It plagues my mind  
And it keeps us right here  
And the less we know  
The more we sit still_

_Science of Fear, The Temper Trap_

'Boss, you called me?' Tsukumo's frightened voice pierced through the dead silence, while he stared at the back of his boss' huge leather chair.

'Tsukumo.' he said in his gravelly voice, and Tsukumo cringed visibly. He sounded like he had never drunk water, and was incredulously parched. He had offered him water once, but after he explained his why he offered, the boss had called security to kick him out of the office. His pay check after the incident had drastically decreased. Never again would he make the same mistake.

'Y-yes?' he stuttered, not wanting to make a worse impression than he already had.

'Have you begun to analyse the enemy?' he demanded, even though it sounded more like a statement. Tsukumo could hear a page turn from behind the chair and immediately became more nervous. Maybe he was looking through his file? He could be looking through his progress, and if the boss didn't find his progress satisfying his steadily rising pay check would rapidly decrease again. He took a deep breath and recited what he knew.

'We have begun to analyse the Guardians. They have meetings every weekday afterschool in Seiyo's Royal Garden. The group was created by Amakawa Tsukasa, who is the King's chair, Hotori Tadase's uncle. The queen's chair is Ma-'

'I know all of _that_.' The boss quickly spun around in his seat and slammed his fist onto the ebony table, making various papers quiver from the impact. Tsukumo froze. 'When I assigned you to analyse them, I did _not_ mean socially. I assigned you to discover their strengths and weaknesses, not find out general public information that everyone in the school knows.'

The boss sighed and slumped back in his seat. 'In the future I will make sure that you fully understand your task. But for now, analyse the Guardians. And this time do it right.'

* * *

Ikuto looked at the kitchen floor in distaste. When Yoru had screamed that something was wrong with Amu he had dropped a plate, jumped over a table and bolted up the stairs- not that it wasn't worth it. Being a part of Easter had made it part of his job to observe the Guardians and what he had witnessed was the most cheerful he had seen in months.

After cleaning up the broken plate and putting it in the bin, he poured two bowls of chicken soup and placed them both in the microwave to warm up.

'I love this part-nya' Yoru muttered from behind Ikuto, intently watching the bowls slowly rotate in the microwave.

'I thought you were watching Amu,' Ikuto scowled, turning to face his chara who had snapped out of watching the bowls in a daze and was now looking at him incredulously. Yoru's cheeks flushed.

'I-I-Ikuto-nya, Amu's getting changed. Remember?' he stuttered, while putting his paws on his cheeks in an attempt to cool them down. Ikuto turned around to face the microwave again to keep his expression blank.

'Oh,' he said, realising that he had forgotten his own advice that he had given Amu. He was glad she was getting changed from her uniform; it was rather muddy from her fainting in the park. Not that he would take it off or anything, what would Amu think if she woke up during the process?

The microwave beeped and snapped Ikuto out of his thoughts. He carefully took out both of the bowls from the microwave and placed them on the dining room table, while Yoru fetched the spoons. Earlier Ikuto had discovered, to his surprise, some small dolls house cups in a cupboard. He poured a portion of his own soup into the mini cup and set it on the table.

'Going to go get Amu,' Ikuto stated and walked up the stairs. From the living room he heard a loud gulp and Yoru hiss loudly. He chuckled softly at his chara. Only Yoru would drink the whole serving of soup in one swallow, regardless of its temperature.

He walked down the corridor observing the shut doors of her parents and her sister's room. Just by looking at the doors, Ikuto could tell that no one had gone inside them for a fair while. He halted in front of Amu's closed door and knocked twice.

'Amu, foods ready,' he said, staring at the door blankly, waiting for Amu to quickly stumble out all flustered and blushing in clean clothes. But that didn't happen. He waited again before knocking again but louder.

'Amu?' he asked again, and waited a few seconds. His heart sped up. No response.

'Amu, I'm coming in.' he stated, held his breath, and barged in, expecting to see Amu on the floor unconscious. He let out a breath that he wasn't aware that he was holding when he saw her sitting on the floor in fresh clothes, staring out the balcony window. He walked over and sat next to her, heart still racing, watching her as she just sat at the window dazed with her phone in her hand.

'Hey Ikuto,' she murmured softly and turned her head to face him, and he was shocked. Were her eyes always so bright and full of emotion? 'Why didn't you tell me that Easter fired you earlier today?'

Ikuto's eyes slightly widened. Who had told her that? He was planning to tell Amu later in the day, but it couldn't be helped now. 'You never asked,' she frowned and looked slightly hurt. 'I was going to tell you Strawberry.' he assured, making her relax slightly. She looked cheered up by that fact alone.

'Kairi texted me about it,' Amu told him, before he could ask who provided her with the information. 'He also told me that the Guardians are recruiting people with Shugo Chara's since Easter is beginning to form its best plan yet. An Easter employee leaked info to Yukari, who passed the info along to Kairi.'

Ikuto snorted. 'Was it that weird dirty blonde guy in a white lab coat?'

Amu laughed. It sounded tinkly almost, like a bell. 'You can ask Yukari on Saturday, I only know what Kairi passed on.' Ikuto pulled one of his legs up and placed his chin on his knee.

'What's happening on Saturday?' he mused, looking thoughtfully outside the window. A family of four walked past- Ikuto was thankful that Amu wasn't looking through the window at that moment. He had no idea how she was going to react to that, but he wanted to keep Amu in the talkative mood she was currently in.

'An emergency Guardian meeting and Kairi would like you to come with me as an additional member.' she stated, gazing out the window again. The family had disappeared around the corner, out of Amu's sight.

Ikuto frowned. If he went to the Guardian Meeting, he would have to talk to Tadase who would most likely attack him on sight- especially if he arrived with Amu.

'I can't do that Strawberry, I'm busy that day.' he lied. Ikuto hated lying to Amu, but he would rather lie and avoid pissing off Tadase to keep Amu happy. After all, he was an excellent liar. Amu raised an eyebrow.

'Really? What are you doing on Saturday?' she questioned, tilting her head to the side. Ikuto couldn't help but think that she looked cute, but immediately took back the thought.

'I'm visiting Utau.' he said smugly. Amu couldn't take him away from Utau- she'd murder her in fifty different ways on the spot if she found out that Amu had tried to prevent Ikuto from seeing her. But to his surprise, Amu cracked a grin.

'That's great! Utau's going to the Guardian meeting too, see?' she pulled put her phone and opened her last text message. Ikuto skimmed through it, soon realising that what Amu was saying was indeed true. Kiddy King would be all pissy after all.

'Nikaidou is going to be there too?' he asked, slightly amazed in what the Guardians were pulling in Saturday's meeting. All of the new recruitments were old employees from Easter, apart from Kukai. He knew that Yukari and Utau were trustworthy, but he hadn't seen Nikaidou since he used to clean up the X-Eggs that he made from the children he used to teach. Amu nodded.

'It's more awkward for me. He's my homeroom teacher and I get to hang out with him on the weekend.'

Ikuto laughed. He could be awkward for her, but it was guaranteed to be awkward for Ikuto. He hadn't seen Utau since she tried to attack Amu while she Character Transformed with Amu's diamond egg. He was probably going to be hugged to death by his own sister. It would be an embarrassing fact to be written on his gravestone.

Another question struck him, and he decided to take advantage of her open mood. 'Amu, how old are you?'

She stared at him for a bit before bursting out laughing. 'How old do I look?' she asked, half joking and half curious.

'About fourteen?' he guessed randomly. He would've said twelve, but teasing her wasn't an option if he wanted an answer. Amu shook her head.

'I am in year eleven Ikuto, I'm sixteen.' she answered, looking proud. Ikuto blinked twice before frowning.

'You should be in year ten if you're sixteen. You skipped a grade.' he stated. Amu smiled and clapped twice.

'Yeah I did. I have a photographic memory with mathematics, so the rest isn't too hard to pick up on.' she gazed out the window again, but suddenly froze and jumped up, startling Ikuto.

'We forgot about the soup!' she groaned and slammed her palm against her forehead.

'Yoru hasn't, so you can count that all of it has already eaten.' Ikuto chuckled.

'Ah, well. I always preferred cake over soup anyway.'

**

* * *

**

A/N

**There, another chapter updated! Woo hoo! ...I'm so tired its 3:05am...**

**Oh! Before I forget, **_**bma925**_** asked me how old everyone is. This is actually an incredibly smart question to ask...that I forgot to add in O.O'**

**Amu: 16; Year 11 (Skipped a year)**

**Ikuto: 17; Year 11 (Goes to a different school)**

**Tadase: 16; Year 10 **

**Kairi: 15; Year 12 (Do I need to explain this? He's a child genius!)**

**Yaya: 15; Year 9**

**Rima: 16; Year 11 (Is an early learner, like those people born in February and January can go to school early and stuff. I happen to be one of these people :D )**

**Utau: 18; Graduated**

**Kukai: 18; Year 12**

_**Mermain123 **_**asked me if Nagi will be introduced into the story. **

**The answer: Yes. Yes he will- but not yet. He comes in later ^,^**

**Who is Tsukumo? He's that freaky dirty blonde guy who's basically in the engineering crew for Easter. His colleagues are Chichimura (brown haired girl with the big-ish lips) and Manta (the other guy). They're the main team that goes after the Embryo after Utau's dark phase with X-Dia, **_**not **_**Lulu. She's too busy being all lovey dovey with Kiddy King to be evil.**

**Ask me any questions and I will gladly answer them. I usually forget things (like age =.=') so it's absolutely awesome to know that I'm getting feedback and that some people like the story xD**

**Until next time,**

**-Ezra**


	7. Television Drama's and Midnight Patrols

_And when I close my eyes tonight  
To symphonies of blinding light  
Like memories in cold decay  
Transmissions echoing away  
Far from the world of you and I  
Where oceans bleed into the sky_

_The Catalyst, Linkin Park_

After eating chocolate cake for dinner, Amu was completely content with how things went. Not once during the meal had a single lie slipped past her lips. For Amu, that was a victory that she wanted to savour and remember.

With the Guardians, she only used white lies and sometimes asked questions to avoid giving an answer. When Amu first started to fall asleep in class soon after she received her chara's, she had told them that Ami's singing had kept her up all night. She didn't tell them that Ami was in fact singing that night, but what kept had her up were some loose X-Eggs on the run in her neighbourhood. Only about a dozen, nothing that she couldn't keep up with, but after she chased them for over three hours through her side of town, fatigue took its toll. Ever since then, purifying stray X-Eggs every night had become a habit.

Only Miki accompanied Amu on her frequent nightly duties. She loved her blue chara's composed and witty attitude with her heart on her sleeve. She enjoyed listening to Miki talk about the exciting parts of Guardian Chara meetings. She intently listened to which male chara was her current heartthrob and inspiration. She adored looking through her drawings, doodles and musical compositions. It gave Amu the feeling that she knew more to Miki, and made her less of a mystery. It touched Amu that Miki would allow her to look through her sketchpad-not as an owner, but as a friend.

But the thing that Amu admired the most about Miki was the fact that she made it a policy that she could only take her on her nightly escapades, and not her sisters. Miki knew that if Amu Chara Transformed with her every night she would be too exhausted to transform with her during the day, even though she was given snide comments from Kiseki daily about her lack of transforming with her owner. Amu admired Miki's mental strength and could sense her chara's strengths becoming close to her own- even though the main artistic side of Miki's personality needed work.

Amu felt herself frown and almost groaned out loud, restraining at the last moment after she remembered that Ikuto was in the room. He was sprawled out on her bed, reading one of her manga's with Yoru softly snoring on her pillow. Ikuto's presence comforted her, but worry still tore through her. During dinner, Ikuto had casually asked if he could stay at her house until the rest of her family returned. Amu had agreed without hesitation, but was now fretting over if her decision had been the right one. As much as she wanted to have Ikuto around all the time and to talk to him freely, she would now have to say nothing about her nightly patrol with Miki. She would have to ignore him and sneak off at night.

To Amu, that was just as bad as lying. A piercing scream from the television snapped Amu out of her daydream.

'_My husband is inside that flaming building! Clarissa, we have to save him! I can't live without him!'_

'_No way in he-oh no! He has my wallet! Sara, we have to save him! It's another Midnight Mystery for us to solve! Get your thinking cap, and we can rush to the scene!_

'This has to be the worst script that I've ever heard in action.' Ikuto remarked from behind a manga.

Amu looked at the television screen in her room and saw a thin wiry girl with long brown hair- who she assumed was Clarissa- and a large beefy woman with short blonde hair- who would be Sara- standing in front of a poorly painted backdrop of a forest, with a red blob in the distance. Amu assumed the blob was the flaming building.

'The visual isn't too stunning either,' she muttered, subconsciously tipping her head slightly to the side, hoping that the show would be better if she watched it at a different angle. She was wrong. 'This is horrible. Didn't _Midnight Mysteries_ use to be really good?'

Ikuto put down the manga and nodded, closing his eyes and rolling onto his back. 'It was, until Easter bought the company that broadcasted it and the copyrights.'

'No way...' she whispered. Her head snapped towards the screen in hope that Ikuto was just teasing her. Like he had implied, Easter's trademark symbol was in the bottom right corner. 'I thought Easter was only a music company!'

Ikuto gave a grim smirk. 'Kazuomi expanded Easter to increase the company's money flow. From what I last heard, the remaining employees that were working on capturing the Embryo that weren't involved in Nikaidou's or Yukari's schemes were in the machinery development department. All of them quit out of fear of the Guardians, except for the three that Kazuomi managed to keep.'

Amu burst out laughing. 'Scared? Of us? You have to be kidding! Did they _know _that they were facing high school students?'

Ikuto opened his eyes and stared into Amu's golden honey eyes. 'Strawberry. Do realise that they used to hold a strong doubt that high school students couldn't disturb Easters plans, let alone know of them. You and the Guardians pummelled that doubt to the ground. The M.D.D was next in your firing line, and after you took down Nikaidou, Yukari _and _Utau, they would be dumber than the current writers of _Midnight Mysteries_ to stay.'

Amu nodded slowly, taking in the massive dose of information. Kairi was right in his decision to invite Ikuto to the emergency Guardian meeting- he was incredibly well informed. At the thought of the meeting, Amu's eyes flicked towards her clock to discover that it was five minutes to eleven.

'Ikuto, it's late. If we stay up any longer I can guarantee you that both of us will sleep through the alarm and tomorrows Guardian meeting.' Amu stated, while reaching for the remote and turning the television off.

Ikuto nodded and stood up, putting the manga back onto her black bedside table while nudging Yoru awake. The chara sleepily flew over to his chara egg on her bedside table and slipped inside, muttering a goodnight.

'I'm going to the bathroom first,' Ikuto told Amu, and walked out the door. Amu nodded and rummaged through her closet for her pyjamas when she heard a delicate bell ring repetitively. Amu rushed to grab her phone, already knowing from the ringtone that Rima was calling her.

'Hey Rima,' Amu said casually, feeling proud that she had made custom ringtones and message tones for all her contacts.

'It's Miki,'

'Miki, what's going on?' Amu asked breathlessly, keeping her voice hushed.

'Nothing too exciting, really. All the Guardian chara's are looking for the Embryo in Rima's attic. I told Musashi that I was tired and left, so everyone thinks that I'm inside my egg.'

'Won't they just look inside your egg?' Amu mused.

'Of course not, it's impossible. Once a chara has hatched, only the owner and the chara can open the egg.' Amu nodded, but after a few seconds realised that Miki couldn't see her gesture. 'Amu-chan, why are you whispering?' Miki said curiously.

'Ikuto is staying at the house until Ami and my parents return,' Amu muttered, feeling her face flush a dark crimson.

'Ohmygosh! That means Yoru is staying too! I have just discovered newfound respect for you Amu! I can't _wait _until Saturday's Guardian meeting so I can go home and see him! Maybe if he stays still he could let me draw him!' Miki squealed at the other side of the line. Amu could bet that a thousand romantic scenarios were running through her mind featuring Yoru and her.

'Miki, are you able to go on a patrol tonight?' Amu asked while looking through her closet.

'Yes. The fact that I'm across town isn't an excuse. I actually called to tell you that I can reach your house at night, but the fact that Ikuto and Yoru are over doesn't really help things. Tadase is going to freak; we're harbouring an Easter employee!'

Amu raised an eyebrow while pulling out a red t-shirt that was one size too big to cover the Humpty Lock and an old pair of black sweatpants to wear as pyjamas. If her Chara Transformation became undone during the night, she did _not_ want to walk around in her pyjamas- what if someone from her school was out? It didn't even matter if they were from her school or not, everyone seemed to know her anyway.

'They don't work for Easter anymore- and I would've agreed even if they did.' Amu remarked. Miki gasped on the other line.

'Really? That's...wow. The Guardian meeting's going to be interesting, huh?' Miki muttered. 'I'll be at your house soon-ish. Leave your balcony door open and don't fall asleep.'

Amu laughed. 'It's always open; you don't have to tell me twice. See you soon Miki.'

The line went dead. Amu quickly pulled on her substitute pyjamas along and took out her X clips, feeling much more awake than she should be. She walked out of her room and knocked on the bathroom door. When the door opened Amu had the shock of her life.

Ikuto was standing directly in front of her, only clad in his boxers with messy hair and was staring deep into her eyes. She could feel her face heating up to create a furious blush.

'I n-need to use the b-bathroom,' she managed to stutter out, while looking at the floor. She thought Ikuto nodded, and was relieved that he didn't tease her about her blushing and stuttering. Silently, he stepped forward, not saying a word. She froze as she felt his long and slender fingers slide into her hair. She swore he muttered something about strawberries when he released her hair and walked back into her room, running a hand tiredly over his face.

She stood in the hall for a few moments, until she remembered that she had to use the bathroom. Flustered, she rushed into the bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror. To no surprise, her cheeks were a scarlet red. She splashed cold water onto her cheeks to cool them down, and brushed her teeth while wondering where Ikuto would sleep. She chocked on her toothpaste when she thought that he could to sleep in her bed.

_Not dressed like that! _She put her toothbrush back and walked back into her room. She halted mid-step and felt her mouth drop open- but she wasn't really paying attention to what she was doing. What she _was _paying attention to, was the figure in her bed. The certain figure in her bed with messy midnight blue hair and only in his boxers_ asleep in her bed._

Amu stomped over and was about to scream her lungs out at him and throw him off her bed, when a soft tap was heard from her window. Amu took a deep breath to calm herself down and turned around to see Miki floating outside, obviously amused by what she was viewing. She silently opened the door and slipped outside, feeling the cold air hit her like a brick.

'From the looks of it, I came just in time. As angry as you are, it would be better to let Ikuto sleep. Shouting at him won't help him stay asleep for you to slip out for majority of the remaining night.' Miki mock scolded, while keeping a small smile on her face.

Amu sighed. 'I guess you're right. How did you get here so early?' The wind was cold and bit at her skin. She shivered and drew Miki into her hands to shield her from the frosty wind.

'Thanks. I found a dog that helped me get here really fast. Also, when I past the park on my way here I sensed a small group of X-Eggs. I only _just _sensed them though, they seemed weak. They might be from the group that attacked us during the Sports Carnival. Kiseki was raging about how a few escaped.' Miki mumbled. Amu noticed that Miki had stopped shivering.

'It's possible. Come on, I don't want Ikuto waking up and wondering why my I'm gone in the middle of the night.' she muttered, feeling guilty once again. Miki nodded.

Amu smiled at Miki and repeated the words she had repeated daily ever since she became a Guardian. 'My own heart: Unlock!'

The cold frosty wind and the dark of the night disappeared in a flash of pure white light. She could feel Miki go into her egg and float into her heart, making them one. She was Miki, and Miki was her. A wave of warmth and euphoria flowed over her, and she knew that the transformation was complete. The light disappeared into her, to reveal her past surroundings. She whispered the next words to the moon along with Miki.

'Character Transformation: Amulet Spade.'

**(A/N:**

**I am **_**so **_**tired. I worked on this chapter since my last update, and it just **_**didn't want to be written properly. **_**Though I did make it extra long :)**

**I **_**really, really, REALLY **_**wanted to just skip to the Guardian meeting, but then my lovely editor demanded that I write about the sleeping arrangements. I disagreed, but that all went downhill after she decided to bribe me with strawberries. I'm such a sucker for bribes :3**

**Now, an awesome reader and reviewer called that left their name as **_**FullMetalMechanist**_** pondered on Ikuto's age.**

**In the manga and anime Ikuto **_**is **_**supposed to be five years older than Amu, making him 21 if Amu was 16. **_**But, **_**I altered the ages, as seen in the after note at the bottom of the last chapter, making their ages closer. I never saw Amu as a 12 year old or as a primary schooler, so I changed it to suit my writing better :9**

**IMPORTANT NOTE****: ****I will be updating less frequently****. I don't mean once a month, I mean something like once every week or two. This will probably change, but I really, **_**really **_**need to do all of my holiday homework. It's been a stack on the corner of my desk and has been taunting me for the whole holidays. I'd resorted to putting a whole bunch of clothes on it to avoid it, but I really need to complete it (what is WITH my school and giving barely any homework during the term, but concentrating the whole terms work into the two week holidays =.=) I only have two days to complete it **

**So yeah, less updates until further notice. Have no fear though, ****I will not be neglecting this story**** like my homework :D**

**Until next time,**

** -Ezra)**


	8. Promises and Explanations

_And on and on  
From the moment I wake, to the moment I sleep  
I'll be there by your side; just you try and stop me  
I'll be waiting in line, just to see if you care, if you care_

_Shiver, Coldplay_

Just by looking at the scene before him, Ikuto could tell that he had missed something and that the something wasn't insignificant. For the truth, it was one of the most amusing sights he had set his eyes upon in a long time.

Amu was sitting on a chair in front of her desk asleep, with her arms cushioning her head. The room was silent apart from her soft breathing and cute girly snores and mumbles.

He suddenly felt guilty- what if she slept sitting on her desk to avoid sleeping in a bed with him? He didn't think it would matter, but then again, Amu wasn't a person that he could predict easily. His guilty thoughts vanquished after he set his eyes on Miki, who was dozing on Amu's head.

_What the hell is Miki doing here?_ He knew something had happened. Amu had explained that all her Guardian Characters had gone to Rima's for the night. He bit his lip and fought against demanding an answer, and instead just decided to wait for Amu to tell him. After all, she would tell him sooner or later-It was a fact that he was proud of.

He fondly stared at Amu for a few more moments before he noticing the piercing sky blue eyes staring at him from Amu's fuchsia hair. It didn't take him long to realise that those eyes belonged to Miki.

'What, you haven't seen a girl sleeping before? I'm sure that Amu would find the knowledge that you stare at her when she sleeps amusing. Maybe even a little creepy, but hey, it's her opinion after all.' she croaked while groggily running her small fingers through her hair and adjusting her hat.

Ikuto realised that what Miki had stated was completely right. He had just been staring at Amu while standing in the middle of her room in nothing but his _boxers_. He also realised that he probably looked like an idiot. Ikuto didn't care what people thought of him, but when it came to Amu he always wanted to be truthful. She had always told the truth to him, and he could never bring himself to lie to her. Why ruin a perfect friendship?

'How did you get here?'

'Stuff happened. It happens sometimes, you see. Sometimes in the middle of the night, other times at the break of dawn. Oh, and don't forget every single moment in between. You know what I mean?' she drawled, while sluggishly rubbing her eyes.

'I see. Something happened?' he inquired, while still not quite understanding what Miki was going on about. It wasn't every day that he was asked to understand something that sounded like it was straight from a fortune cookie.

'Yeah, of course something happened! At the park it happene-'

'Miki. I love you and all, but can you _shut up_?' Amu's muffled voice interrupted Miki's outburst. The blue chara jumped and flew a small distance away while Amu's head quickly rose, so she could sit upright. Miki hovered in front of Amu's face, and Ikuto was almost shocked when the chara swore with flying colours.

'_Damn it! _Oh, hell, this is just fucking _brilliant!_ I _knew _that we over did it last night! Weak X-Eggs my ass,they were anything_ but _weak! I need to see a damn chara doctor, my radar is screwed! Ugh!' she slumped and sadly floated down top settle onto Amu's shoulder in self-disappointment. 'My radar is such a failure...I'm so sorry Amu.'

Ikuto finally understood why Miki lost her cool. Just by looking at Amu, he could tell that her health had gotten worse. Her face was once again flushed, and her eyes had gone dull and slightly darker, reducing her sparkling honey-gold eyes to a dull combination of golden bronze and chocolate brown. Under her eyes were dark rings of a ghastly mixture of a bruised purple and a charcoal black. Ikuto pulled a chair over and sat next to her, feeling completely shocked. Miki spoke first.

'Ikuto. I want you to shut up for a few minutes and let us explain. Keep an open mind,' she snapped, turned her head towards Amu's nightstand and glared. 'You too Yoru.'

Yoru, who was 'sleeping' in his egg, cracked open his shell and held his hands up in surrender, 'Sorry-nya, there wasn't a good moment to come out without interrupting the conversation-nya.' He floated over to Amu and sniffed her face delicately. 'Amu-nya, you smell like X-Eggs...and strawberries.'

Miki snorted and was about to open her mouth to make a witty response, when Amu softly touched her hat with her index finger, signalling to her chara to calm down. She looked at Yoru.

'My sense of smell is probably shocking compared to yours Yoru, but I can tell you that I was around X-Eggs. I have no idea why I would smell like strawberries, but whatever. I've been around X-Eggs for a while every night. Before I continue I need you two to promise us something.'

Amu turned away from Yoru and locked eyes with Ikuto, who hadn't spoken much and was completely content to let his Guardian Character talk on his behalf. He was still in shock about what had happened.

Amu was sick. Again. He could have stopped her, _helped her. _Instead he slept the night away when she clearly_ didn't_. He blamed himself, and was shocked when she held out her pinkie finger. Just by gazing into her eyes, he could see that no matter how dull they were, they were filled with trust. Trust for him, and only him. He swore that his heart stopped beating for a second. Miki flew over to Yoru and also held out her pinkie.

'Ikuto, I can tell you what happened and what will still happen, if you promise me something. Anything that I tell you, you do not tell another person, chara or animal. Not Utau, not even an inanimate object. This can only be between us four.'

'You have my word.' he answered without hesitation. A warm and fuzzy sensation pumped through his body when she said 'between us'. He knew that he would have to have a talk with Utau _soon. _Utau was his older sister after all; he could always rely on her advice, especially when he didn't know what he was feeling. All he knew was that he wanted more of it, and from Amu. Only Amu.

Amu hooked their pinkies and shook on it, while Miki and Yoru copied in the background. She offered a small smile after the deal, and he could see right then that he had done the right thing by agreeing.

Miki flew over and perched on Amu's shoulder. Yoru just hovered next to Ikuto, content with how things were rolling, but was still concerned about Amu and Miki. Miki began talking again.

'The things we do at night are for the better good, and we refuse to stop now.' Amu nodded in agreement. 'It happened the first night after you two dropped by to give Amu the replacement sweets after the tart incident. It was the same night Suu hatched. Two X-Eggs were roaming around the front of the house, so I woke Amu up and we took chase.

What we didn't know at the time was that the X-Eggs were from the cross-country team in one of Seiyo's afterschool activity programs. They had recently come last in a race, against the odds of them winning. The whole team had gotten in an argument afterwards, making each student depressed and angry. Each individual turned their own Hearts egg into an X-Egg and had flew away in opposite directions. They had us running for over five hours, until we _finally _hunted down and purified them all. Every night after that, X-Eggs have roamed around our part of town, and we track them down and purify them before sunrise.'

Ikuto frowned. 'How does that have anything to do with Amu's health?'

'It has a lot more to do with it than you think.' Amu muttered. Miki continued.

'Ikuto, by now you should know enough about my sisters and myself and the abilities we can perform- especially Open Heart.' Miki stated. Ikuto nodded, he knew the move well. It was the one ability that annoyed Kazuomi enough to throw a tantrum about. It had been one of the rare times when Ikuto had laughed in the presence of his stepfather. Miki looked at Amu, who nodded and took over.

'Open Heart...it isn't what you think. Yes, it's an ability that purifies the X-Egg and returns it into a Hearts Egg, but it's also an ability that exhausts the user-in this case, me. Until I can sleep off the after-effects, I am unstable and exhausted, physically and emotionally. After I sleep it off, I'm fine, even though sometimes it takes a little while.' Amu looked at Ikuto's face and could see his jaw tense and his eyes sharpen. He didn't like what he was hearing. She bravely continued. 'Ikuto, I know that you don't like what I am doing, but like Miki said before: It's for the greater go-'

'That's not true, and you know it. The greater good is for everyone and in every way, and it's clearly not good for you.' Ikuto argued. Amu shook her head.

'You don't get it. Let's say I told the Guardians about the side effects. They would ban me from purifying anything and probably confiscate the Humpty Lock to make sure that I don't break my word, just because they don't want to hurt me.'

Yoru chose that exact moment to butt in. 'How is that a bad thing-nya?' Miki sighed. It was the exact same question she had asked when it was just Amu and her discussing things.

'Because Yoru...' Miki began softly, not wanting to give the answer that made her so upset on so many occasions. Amu saw her reluctance and continued where Miki had left off.

'Yoru...without Open Heart, the Guardians are useless. Sure, we're a group of high schoolers that all have Guardian Characters, but that's it. Rima, Kukai and I are the only two who can perform a Character Transformation at the moment. Rima's leg is broken so she can't transform at the moment. Tadase did one once, but it hasn't happened again. None of them can purify. If I stopped purifying, the only way that we would be able to stop X-Eggs would be to smash them, and no one is prepared to do that anymore. Not when we know exactly what we are crushing.'

'Besides,' Miki piped in, 'we've been doing this for eight months and it's done nothing but make work easier for the Guardians. Since Amu technically can't do any paperwork, I guess this is our way of supporting them. Oh, and Amu? In the meeting, tell Tadase that lotus and magnolia flowers would look great in the garden. The colours would contrast brilliantly with the cherry blossom trees.'

Amu nodded, but at the words 'meeting' she frowned. She had to get ready for the emergency meeting. 'Yoru, what's the time?' she asked urgently. He flew to the door and peered out.

'It's nine thirty-five-nya.'

Amu froze.

Miki froze.

Ikuto's eyes slightly widened.

'We're off schedule!' Amu shouted, while stumbling to her wardrobe and pulling out her school uniform. Miki rushed off and gathered all the things that Amu would need off her desk and put them in her bag. Ikuto had slipped on his school uniform and was lying on her bed reading a manga again. Amu was about to put on her uniform, when she realised that it was still dirty from her incident at the park.

'Miki, I need you to draw me an outfit that will resemble my school uniform so much, that no one will be able to tell the difference.' she gushed, while panicking. Miki gave her a firm nod and pulled a paintbrush out while wildly- yet professionally- swinging it around with grace.

'Drew, Draw, Drawn!'

In a flash of jumbled colours, Amu's pyjamas were replaced with a pimped up version of her school uniform. The once only red plaid skirt had gained a black crossed affect that seemed to blend in well with the other shades of red. Her leg-warmers followed suit in the colour change. Miki had added a black and red striped beanie with a small red X on the side. Amu turned to Miki and pointed to the beanie.

'What's with the hat?' she asked in pure curiosity. Miki grinned like a lunatic.

'It's going to be cold outside. Sunny, but cold nonetheless. I like the beanie and it suits your head and figure well, so I adjusted your outfit to suit it. Besides, your hair resembles a haystack, and the beanie covers it. We don't really have much time to fix it, do we?' she quipped, feeling proud of herself. Amu nodded quickly, before holding her head in her hands and muttering something about a headache to Miki. She was glad that Ikuto didn't seem to notice.

She stumbled into the bathroom, with Ikuto following her, who was still reading the manga. She turned around and looked at him inquisitively.

'Why are you following me?' she asked. Ikuto looked over the manga at her confused expression.

'You might fall. You certainly look like you are about to, and I don't want to bring you to Kiddy King's meeting injured just so he can scream at me and tell everyone that I abused you or something stupid.' he stated. Amu was about to reply that Tadase wouldn't think such a thing, when she stopped herself. For all she knew, Tadase _could _think that Ikuto was capable of that. After all, Tadase did seem to hate Ikuto with a passion.

Amu opened a drawer in the vanity and pulled out a tube of foundation. Ikuto frowned. _Amu put on makeup?_

'You don't need makeup, you look just fine the way you are.' he blurted out. He almost groaned out loud; that had to be the cheesiest thing he had ever said to a girl. But it was true. He hoped that it had come out casual, so Amu didn't look at him funny. To his relief, she didnt.

'Thanks Ikuto, but I don't smear it all over my face like other people do. Just under my eyes, so I don't look like I haven't got a semi black-eye.' Amu explained, while putting a tiny speck under each of her eyes and carefully rubbed it in, making herself appear as if she had only lost a few hours of sleep instead of not sleeping much at all. 'I don't really like putting it on either, but I've gotten used to it.'

Ikuto nodded and walked behind her, as she marched back into her room.

'What's the time now?' Amu asked, while giving Miki a reassuring pat on the head. Miki smiled. She loved it when Amu did that.

'Nine forty-three. The way this is going, were going to be late. Such a pity.' Ikuto commented sarcastically from the doorway, while smirking.

'You are so not helping!'

**

* * *

**

(A/N:

**WOO! Gonna make this authors note real quick, so I can update and make some people happy c: I like making people happy. Do you?**

**I edited, and I've altered the way the story is formatted. See the song at the top of the chapter? Look back at chapters 1-8, they all have songs too. Yay!**

**OH! Even though it's a little late, this chapter has bad language in it, courtesy of Miki. Whoops. It's okay though, since the story is T, which says that I'm allowed to put in "**minor coarse language**". Since I only plan to drop the F bomb once in the story, I guess that's okay :9**

**I originally wanted to put the Guardian Meeting in this chapter, but I couldn't just have them appear in the meeting without some commotion in the morning and some explanations =D**

**Oh! ****If some of the explanations didn't make sense, please tell me through a review****. I can then explain it to you, and then fix it. Like I admitted before, I forget stuff. A lot. Questions are always awesome too!**

**Hey! Just thought of something! How about if some people tell me a song through a review, and I might use it in a future chapter! I love music almost as much as I love writing. Just leave the song name and the artist. I'll add your name in the after note, if I choose your song. You awesome people deserve credit too!**

**Also, Utau is a year older in this than Ikuto. I actually didn't realise this, (forgot again!) but I'm actually glad that I made it like that... Another example of my forgetfulness! **

**And there I was, thinking of making this a **_**short **_**after note. Pfft. **

**Until next time,**

**-Ezra)**

**Reviews are loved. How about I exchange them for cookies?**


	9. Findings and Pairings

_You were hiding in a darkened stall  
Waiting on your curtain call  
Getting your piece of mind  
But I was looking past the glossy stare  
I knew who was really there  
And I'd like to spend some time_

_Pop Princess, The Click Five_

'Boss, I may have the information that you need!' Tsukumo shouted, after bursting into the dark room. I must look like such a fool! Tsukumo shivered- he had forgotten how cold and sad the darkened meeting room was.

He despised his daily reports to the Boss with a passion. He had tried to get Chichimura or Manta to go for him, but it was always a wasted effort-not that he blamed them. He wanted to stay in the toasty warm Mechanical Development Department as much as they did, if not more. He slowly walked up to the mahogany table and placed down the data he had collected. The Boss gave him an icy cold glare, as usual.

'What have you got to show for yourself, Tsukumo Hiragi? Report your findings.' he rasped out. His heartless brown eyes were threatening and merciless. He froze and quickly cleared his throat. Now was not the time to stutter and look like more of a fool than he had already showed. He took a deep breath and recited what he had repeated to the mirror for the past two nights.

'Last night my comrades and I planted seven medium powered X-Eggs in the park near Yukari Sanjo's house to test out an X-Egg creation theory. Chichimura created a negative energy cloaking device that we used in the test. It hides almost all of the negative energy that X-Egg's naturally emit, making them appear weak. W-' Tsukumo jumped as the Boss slammed his papery hand down on the table, scattering documents across the broad surface.

'I fail to see how that has anything to do with your priority. Your priority was to analyse the enemy, not test stupendous theories!' he snapped, before hesitating mid-rant and pulling out a grey handkerchief. He cringed before coughing savagely into it. He kept the handkerchief pressed to his mouth and gestured for Tsukumo to continue. He crossed his fingers behind his back. He was never superstitious nor did he believe in luck, but maybe just a little would help him. He took a shaky breath before continuing where he left off.

'We were only going to test out the collecting theory, but as soon as we felt a positive energy surge to the south west. The surge notified us that the Guardians had somehow picked up on our plans even though it was half-way across town. We even kept it out of the Guardian Chara's detection range. The range was estimated from the tests we performed on Utau Hoshina's chara's, Il, El and X-Dia. The test was supposed to be uninterrupted, so when the Guardians were on the radar we took the surprise as an opportunity to assess the enemy by turning on our hi-tech cameras and hiding.

To our disappointment only one Guardian appeared last night. To no one's surprise it was the fifth member; The Joker, Amu Hinamori. She was already in a Character Transformation with her second chara, and took out two X-Eggs with what appeared to be a giant paintbrush in the first five seconds of her appearance. She did it with such ease that Manta amped up the negative energy with the X-Eggs, causing them to accidentally hatch.

After that we had to evacuate the area, and we ran to the nearest Easter shelter. It conveniently had a window view so that we could observe the park, but not the area that we were testing. Unfortunately the tree branches interfered with our view of The Joker's... surprise attack. After twenty minutes of waiting inside the building and randomly sighting the spontaneous flashes of pure white and shimmering blue light through the foliage, it finally stopped. We returned to the test site to find that any negative energy readings were completely absent and that the film was still running.

Upon assessing the film we have produced a more detailed file for Amu Hinamori.' he finished, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down the side of his face despite the cold temperature. He pulled a beige folder out of his jacket with clammy hands and carefully placed it on the table. He waited a few moments for the Boss to remove his fingers from the handkerchief and reach across the table to grab the file, but after a few awkward moments he realised that it wasn't going to happen.

'Is there anything else to report that would be in my interest?' The Boss' voice was muffled through the cloth that he held to his mouth, but apart from that his expression had not changed. Tsukumo could swear that the Boss hadn't blinked once during the meeting. The thought alone brought a chill down his spine.

'Well, there was one thing...' he shuffled his feet nervously. 'But, I didn't see it.' The Boss eyes seemed to grow colder.

'_Tell me_.'

'W-Well, you know how I informed you that we stayed at an Easter base? Uh, well we only_ knew_ when to return to the test site when The Joker had left the premises. We judged that by the view that the Easter base provided. Chichimura was the one who was keeping watch and reported when she left, but...' Tsukumo hesitated again. He didn't like the look in his eyes that was present in the Boss' eyes. Spite, greed, hate and a tiny glimmer of hope- It was almost sadistic.

'Finish your sentence. But _what?_' the Boss managed to spit out. One of his hands that were holding the handkerchief to his face curled into a fist.

'When The Joker left the park she was still in her Character Transformation. But...the Character Transformation was the only thing that appeared to be keeping her going. As if she was unconscious and the Character Transformation was the only thing that was keeping her moving.' After a moment of silence he froze. What if Chichimura was wrong?

'It's just a silly theory though!' he laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, but the Boss wasn't paying attention. He had turned his chair around and was staring at the closed wooden blinds.

'You may now return to your work. There are no priorities at the present time, so continue creating X-Eggs for now.' he finalized. Tsukumo nodded and quickly-but somehow keeping his form professional- ran from the office.

The Boss didn't mind though, not this time. He knew that his employee was sprinting down the empty hallways and staircases, down to the MDD where his colleagues were so that he could rant about how freaky he was. But he didn't care, he never did. Everything was finally working itself out and in his favour. His personal theory was proved correct, and now he could take the next step. Everything was working itself out for Kazuomi Hoshina, and his eyes glinted in the darkness.

'_The Embryo will be_ _mine.'_

*x*x*

'Amu-chi is late!' Yaya sulked while resting her head on the new Guardian table. The old table was only a five person table, so Tsukasa had replaced it with a giant circular table made of African Blackwood- but only after making a pun about 'The Knights of the Round Table' which only Kairi understood while the others just assumed it was another riddle and didn't pay attention. Everyone had arrived five minutes early, except for Ikuto and Amu. Utau bit her lip to smother a smile.

'It'll be a wonder if she arrives at all. My brother is impossible to find- I've spent majority of the eighteen years of my life trying to find him. If it's her responsibility to arrive with him, don't expect her to avoid disappointment.' she muttered, while cleaning her blue shades.

'She'll find a way.' Kukai cracked a grin and put his arm around Utau's shoulder while a slight pink tinged her cheeks. 'It's Hinamori- She always finds a way!'

Yukari tutted in disapproval while scribbling some notes for Utau's next concert in her planner. 'By setting an expectation like that, you're just setting yourself up for a failed performance.' She looked up from her notes and cut her eyes towards Nikaidou. 'I would know.'

Nikaidou just laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly while Yukari continued to write in her planner, but slightly harder than before. 'Himamori-san is usually late to class, Yaya-sa-'

'For the last time Sensei, it's _Hinamori! _After three years of being a student in your homeroom, I don't understand how you don't remember- and it's not like I have any free time anyway, with all the homework you dish out!' Amu growled while striding quickly towards the group, with Ikuto trailing casually beside her with his hand around hers.

During the sprint to Seiyo, he had grabbed her hand and swept her into his arms. She was still sick- like he was going to let her run around when he knew what she had been doing all night! Well that, and he enjoyed how warm and soft her whole being was when he had ran the whole way there with her in his arms. Only then he knew that she was truly safe, and that made him feel proud that he was able to protect her. They both took a seat around the table, neither letting go of each other's hands and feeling content to hold them under the table.

'Yaya agrees! No more homework!' Yaya screamed while pumping her hands into the air and waving them around. Rima just put her empty teacup into her saucer and sighed.

'You shouldn't be complaining. Year Nine homework is _nothing _compared to Year Eleven homework.' She tutted, while Tadase just refilled her teacup with a frown on his face. His jaw tensed and his grip tightened on the teapot. He didn't like having Ikuto in the same room as him- and willingly no less! He was just itching to see Ikuto do something dangerous or offensive so that he could call Kiseki into a Character Change.

Kukai laughed out loud and swallowed a lemon tart whole to the amazement of everyone. 'And Year Nine homework is nothing compared to Year Twelve homework. I don't know how Kairi does it-he does all the complicated subjects while I just do the basics, intermediate math, soccer and Physical Education. How old are you anyway? Eleven?' Utau bit her lip to smother a laugh at Kukai's ignorance.

Kairi tuned a page in a folder with unnecessary force. 'Fifteen and seven months, actually.'

'Yaya is almost that age! Yaya thinks Kairi-kun is smart!' she managed to declare loudly through a mouthful of blueberry tart. Kairi's face flushed to the amusement of his older sister.

'All right. Now that everyone has had a moment to bond we need to remember the reason that we all took some time out of our schedules to be here.' Tadase stated while settling rigidly into his own seat around the table. 'To newcomers and members, welcome to Saturday's emergency Guardian meeting. Today we have all-'

'Hey Tadase-kun? Before I forget, lotus and magnolia flowers would look awesome in the flower garden.' Amu stated while rubbing her eye sleepily with her spare hand. She didn't dare take her hand away from Ikuto's. It made her feel relaxed and comforted- something she had only felt on rare occasions.

'It would look good. It would also suit the cherry blossoms,' Rima nodded in approval while sipping her tea.

'Yaya likes cherries!' Yaya shouted while turning around and pulling a cherry lollipop out of her bag and happily cramming it in her mouth with a satisfying _pop_.

'The candy flavour or the actual fruit?' Kukai asked while grinning. He already knew the answer along with everyone else around the table, even though some had only known Yaya for a short time.

'The candy! The candy! The candy! The cand-'

'Settle down,' Yukari's unexpectedly stern voice stopped Yaya's repetitive shouting in an instant. 'We all came here together for a reason, didn't we? We all know what it is. To stop Easter from gaining the Embryo. Five of us gathered here today have, in the past, worked for them. Some of us willing, some were quite the opposite.' She looked pointedly towards Ikuto who just nodded in acknowledgement. Her eyes also drifted over Kairi who just blankly stared back. 'What we _do _know, is that they need to be stopped before they do something so drastically unreasonable and dangerous that it endangers people's lives.'

Kairi opened a separate folder and flipped through the pages. 'It's completely true. From the increase of X-Eggs, it is obvious that Easter have not given up on the Embryo. In fact, they are drawing in more money by purchasing various broadcasting companies and their shows and continuing them. I'm sure many of you have noticed how shocking many television shows have become, including what used to be the best shows on television: Mysterious Mysteries, Blood Knight Hero and Samurai's Forest.'

'The question is what can we do about it?' Tadase asked while folding his hands into his lap. Yaya shot up in an instant.

'We can just go in there and tell them to stop! We can barge in, take away their X-Egg stuff and get a few autographs and pictures on the way!' she beamed and whipped around. She was about to take off in the direction of Easter when a crutch barred her way. Rima tapped Yaya's shoulders delicately with the crutch, making sure she didn't hurt her.

'That's a stupid idea, sit down. You obviously didn't think that thought through.' she stated while putting the crutch down next to the other one, which was lying haphazardly in the middle of the Royal Garden's walkway.

'Rima is right, that plan wouldn't work. There are too many flaws.' Utau took a sip of her tea. 'First off, the security of Easter is completely tight- technologically and physically.'

Kairi began to furiously scribble down notes and placed a voice recorder on the table. He nodded at Utau to continue.

'Of all the twenty-seven levels of Easter, there is one room in each level that is full of armed security guards, excluding the ones that routinely walk around the lobby. One security guard of each room full of security will have a pass that allows them to walk around majority of the staff only areas of the building and to Kazuomi Hoshina's office, who is in charge of the hunt for the Embryo.'

Kukai laughed and slapped Tadase on the back, causing him to choke on his tea. 'Then that's easy! We sneak in, steal a security guards pass, march up to the office and demand him to stop what he's doing!'

'Wrong.' Nikaidou stated harshly is his almost childish voice. 'Not to put you down or anything, but you couldn't be any more off the mark. Utau didn't even finish all the details of the security. Yes, the pass will help but it isn't necessarily the golden ticket to freedom. If it's a room that is of high importance-say, the surveillance room, there will be a fingerprint scan and an iris scan to confirm your identity, thus making barging in impossible. Only the high-rank members of Easter would be able to access those areas. They would intercept you at the lobby and probably ban you from the building if you weren't wanted.'

'They only have three people working on capturing the Embryo.' Ikuto stated while playing with Amu's fingers under the table. It was enjoyable for him, and it kept her awake while soothing her at the same time. 'The Mechanical Development Department. I've already informed Amu about them. They're basically two guys and a woman that are in their mid-thirties and always wear lab coats. I'll bet that they are the ones who are creating new X-Eggs, and that something big is going to happen soon.'

Tadase nodded. 'Until then, we will need to take precautions. That means monitoring the area and more X-Egg hunts to prevent any attacks on students and any other person. That means that we'll need you, Hinamori-san, to Character Transform whenever you can to perform Open Heart.' he smiled at Amu who just nodded. Ikuto's hand tensed- he didn't like that at all.

Kairi finished scribbling down some notes before setting down his pen with a satisfying hum. 'Alright, these will be the pairs that you will go on X-Egg Hunts with. Utau, you will be partnered with Kukai. You can both Character Transform and Utau can use Angel's Cradle. As long as you both don't get in too much trouble, you should be fine.'

Kukai gave a thumbs-up and grinned. 'I'm fine with that. Besides, then we can finally have enough time to do a rematch to find out who can eat twenty-four bowls Ramen fastest!'

'I won and you know it. You're just in denial, but I'll have no problem beating you again.' she teased while putting her shades on.

'Bring it on Pop Princess- I'll beat you fair and square!'

Kairi coughed. 'Good luck with that. I will be partnered with Yuiki-san. This way we can both focus on performing a Character Transformation, and we can scout together.'

'Only when you call Yaya, Yaya! Not Yuiki-san, Yaya!' she demanded childishly while pouting. Kairi flushed.

'Fine. Okay Yu...Yaya.' he sighed. Yaya pumped her fist up into the air.

'Yeah! I finally got Class Prez to call me by my name! Now we both _have _to go and get candy after this!' she cheered while still sucking on her lollipop.

'Rima, since you are injured I want you to be partnered with Tadase for now. You won't have to do anything apart from helping him to be able to perform a Character Transformation. The fact that he has already done one before should help.'

Tadase smiled politely. 'I hope that you can help me Mashiro-san.'

'What do you mean _for now_?' Rima asked.

Kairi shrugged. 'I have had hints thrown at me that a chara owner will be returning to Seiyo. It's not definite, but I'd rather have you aware of all the options.

'Now, Nikaidou and Yukari. You two will need to work together to develop plans for us to follow and discuss at meetings. Think of yourselves as leaders or teachers. Also work with Tsukasa when you can- he has a whole bunch of riddles that need to be solved that concern the Guardians, including the mystery that goes with the picture storybook '_The Hearts Egg'_.'

Yukari just tutted while pulling out her planner again. 'Kairi, I will only agree to this if I'm permitted to work on Utau's next concert while helping out here.'

'That would be perfectly fine. I am glad that we can have your assistance Sanjo-san.' Tadase chimed in.

'Just call me Yukari. It would be too confusing to call two people Sanjo-san.' she mumbled while writing in her planner.

'Everyone call me Yuu while working on this project. It's shorter, but remember to call me by my last name around classmates.' Yuu said while pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

'The last group will be Hinamori-san and Tsukiyomi-san. They're an obvious pair, considering that they have the Humpty Lock and the Dumpty Key. We have a huge advantage with just that, and you can both Character Transform. You two will be our best group.'

Amu and Ikuto just nodded and squeezed each other's hands. There was nothing to say. Their actions had reassured them both completely.

**Extra long chapter! New pairs! New Guardian Members! Who could be returning to Seiyo?**

**Also, vote on my poll. It concerns my update times- which have been pretty irregular, I must say.**

**Remember: Ask questions if you're confused about **_**anything**_**. Really. It could even be what colour my fingernails are. Its Amethyst at the moment, by the way :3**

**I had writers block, so I made a series of one-shots that will be continued. Feel free to check it out, or not :9**

**~Ezra.**

**Reviews are loved. How about I trade one for a cookie?**


	10. Balancing and Occupations

_Shipwreck in the sea of faces,  
There's a dreamy world up there,  
Dear friends in higher places,  
Carry me away from here,  
Travel light let the sun eclipse you,  
'Cause your flight is about to leave,  
And there's more to this brave adventure,  
Than you'd ever believe._

_To The Sky, Owl City_

'Good Morning Mashiro-san. It's a lovely day, is it not?' Tadase's voice filled the Royal Garden towards Rima, who was sitting in her seat drinking tea and playing cards with Kusukusu-Of course Kusukusu was holding smaller cards. Miki had made a pack of cards that shrank when chara's touched it and turned to its normal size when they lost contact. Kairi flipped out when he couldn't come up with a scientific reason for how it was possible.

'It rained. It's not a lovely day. It's Sunday. You're late,' _However, it was lovely when you were not present in my day, and here you are and now my day is ruined. _Rima finished in her head. One of the only things that she had taken from her mother was a life lesson: If you're going to say something mean, don't say anything at all.

That was why comedy and sarcasm was a complete milestone in her life. Mainly comedy, but it wouldn't be the same without sarcasm. It truly was one of the highlights in her life. It helped her enjoy life to its fullest.

Tadase blushed softly in embarrassment. 'My apologies Mashiro-san. I hope that you can assist Kiseki and myself in performing a Character Transformation.' Kiseki floated out behind Tadase with a matching red face.

'Do your job commoner!' he demanded while avoiding eye contact. Rima snorted the most feminine snort known to mankind. _Even his dumb purple headed chara tries to dominate the situation... just like Papa. _Rima froze and scowled._ That's _it._ I'm officially against people with purple hair for life_.

'Your...crown...is cr..._crooked!' _Kusukusu managed to splutter in between giggles before she lost concentration, dropped her cards and burst out laughing on the table. Kiseki freaked out and frantically fiddled with his crown while Tadase just sighed pitifully at his chara.

'Alright, I know what you two can do. Stand on the table.' Rima demanded. Tadase just looked at her funny.

'Stand...on the table?'

'Do not copy me. You're a big boy, use your own lines. Now _get on the table._'

It was needless to say that after those words had passed Rima's lips and her eyes had glinted with slight madness and anger -mainly anger- that Tadase complied, along with Kiseki.

'Now _freeze!' _Rima snapped. Tadase and Kiseki froze- even Kiseki's robe froze in mid-air as they waited for instructions from the Queen.

'Move both your arms upwards...I said upwards, not to the _left..._bend your arms like the curved part of a semi-circle...move your left arm in front of you...good, now don't ruin the semi-circles and put your left arm so its above your shiny blonde hair- you too purple-head! Don't talk, you'll ruin it! Now bend your whole body to your left...now lift one foot up...point it...not your finger, your foot!...Almost there...Perfect! Absolutely perfect!'

Yukari and Yuu took that exact moment to walk into the Royal Garden.

'...so that's why they must of been there and not...Rima, why is Tadase and Kiseki doing that gag from Bala-Balance on the table?' Yuu asked while walking up to the table. He shifted his glasses to check if it was just his imagination.

Yukari frowned. 'Tadase, you do realise that what you're standing on is an antique African Blackwood table, which happens to be the most expensive wood _in the world, right?'_

Rima shrugged. 'It doesn't matter; it's for his own good. If he damages it I'll pay for it with my allowance. Tadase, Kiseki, _don't move_. This will test your concentration and cooperation. I hope that you don't need to pee because this is what you two are going to be doing _all afternoon._' Rima smirked while Kusukusu giggled like a maniac and rolled around on the table scattering the shrinking and enlarging cards at her touch.

'I see. I'm assuming that you're training them both to be able to Character Transform, Mashiro-san?' Yuu asked while tying up his shoelaces.

'Pretty much. These two have a long and uneventful day ahead of them and I get to supervise them. Joy. What are you two doing?' she asked in a bored yet polite tone.

'Gathering information to see what our resources are.' Yukari answered in a tone that made her sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 'After finally hunting Amu down we found out that her father works as a photographer and her mother is a journalist. That means that we could probably steal a camera or two off her dad. Her mother has a pretty useless occupation for us to use to our benefit. I mean, what are we going to do, throw _The Housewife's Weekly _at an Easter employee? So we came here to find out both of your parents occupations.'

Rima froze. She didn't want to tell them _that! _Her parents work was one of the things that were putting her parents in the mental state to want a divorce.

'Tadase you can only talk now to tell them.' Rima stalled while chewing on her lip.

Tadase's eyes flashed of hurt and sorrow before a cheerful and regretful mask shut out all of his true feelings. Rima almost thought that she had imagined it. 'My parents have passed on. I'm under the care of my grandmother who is unable to work. I'm afraid that I can be of no use to you at the moment.'

'I'm sorry to hear that Hotori-kun.' Yuu apologised sincerely. He bowed his head. 'I'm sure that they were wonderful people to be able to raise such a polite son.'

'Thanks.' he muttered dryly before staying quiet once more.

Rima answered the question before it was turned to her. Repeating words was just a waste of time. 'My father is a retired demolition expert who now works as a business man in stunt theatrics and the stock market. He still works on demolition and destruction even though he is retired. My mother works as a nurse. You could get some First-Aid kits from her, I guess.' Rima muttered in a monotone.

Yukari nodded and began to scribble down some notes in her clipboard feverishly. 'Does your father use explosives?'

'Yeah, I guess. Do you want a free dynamite stick or something, because that could be arranged. Or are you a fan of nuclear action?' she growled while staring at her broken ankle that appeared to be a giant bump of plaster with graffiti. It was part in parcel with the ugly custard crutches that had been nicknamed Crony. She hated the crutches almost as much as her parent's behaviour towards each other so she mixed their middle names together. It meant 'close companion'. The name was so drenched in irony that she couldn't help but like the crutches just a little more.

'We don't really know yet, but I might take you up on that offer later.' Yuu grinned, oblivious to the heavy sarcasm that Rima had spat out.

'Sure. Do whatever.' she grumbled while crushing a sugar cube in between her tiny manicured fingers. Tadase swallowed heavily thinking that she was angry and tried to slow down his breathing to imitate a statue more sufficiently.

'Have you seen Ikuto? We can't find him...at all.' Yuu mumbled sheepishly. Rima rolled her eyes dramatically.

'He's with Amu. Where else?'

'But...she was alone,' Yuu started, beginning to fidget with his crooked glasses. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable by getting told off by a student of his.

'But you weren't looking hard enough. He's pretty much half cat and you don't pay attention to your surroundings. He _does _have a chara you know.' Rima stated while sprinkling the crushed sugar into her cold tea.

Yukari blinked. 'I used to be an Easter employee. I think that we know how to locate a blue haired teen with a cat chara.'

'You say that, but they're right under your noses.' Rima smirked. She had noticed it ever since the start of the day and had been thinking about it for majority of the time that she had been waiting on the blonde and purple living statue.

'What?'

'He's probably where Amu was, just in the darkness. He's _always_ with Amu...Don't tell me that you haven't noticed?' Rima paused while Yukari and Yuu stared at her blankly. 'It's obvious! Didn't you see them under the table?' They continued to stare at Rima blankly while Kusukusu giggled and threw a card at Tadase, watching it enlarge when she lost physical contact with it. It hit Tadase in the forehead making him sway slightly, but he caught himself before Rima could glare at him. Kusukusu thought it was hilarious and burst out laughing again.

'Well, he's where Amu is. I can guarantee you that she has left wherever you found her. Good luck finding them now.' They stared at Rima for a few more seconds before scurrying off to find Ikuto and Amu. She smiled softly to herself. It was a rare occasion that she smiled but those occasions were becoming more and more frequent.

She had seen the way Ikuto looked at Amu. She had seen the way that they acted around each other. She had seen their intertwined hands and their small glances that they took when they thought the other wasn't looking. She knew it wasn't long before they realised their feelings and she would win a five dollar bet with Yaya. It was all in due time.

Rima stirred her tea in the peacefulness of the Royal Garden. She knew that it was the calm before the storm. She also knew that she would be pretty much useless if the storm came soon. She had no idea of what to expect, but she had an idea that it would be like a war.

And no war is pretty.

**Next chapter: What was going on with Amu and Ikuto? Ikuto has a talk with Utau about feelings towards Amu. Tsukasa may pay a visit. Only the cards will tell...**

**Important stuff: If I begin to ignore this story, feel free to spam my inbox to remind me. I have no time management. I go completely at my own pace, but it's good to know when I'm slacking.**

**Poll my profile to help me figure out update times!**

**Reviews are loved. How about I trade one for a cookie? :9 **


	11. Thoughts and Revelations

_My heart is yours._  
_It's you that I hold on to._  
_That's what I'll do._  
_But I know I was wrong,_  
_And I won't let you down._

_Sparks, Coldplay_

Utau stared at Yukari while she frantically scribbled stage instructions on a movable whiteboard in the Sanjo household, but her mind wasn't following the basic instructions being given to her. All she could think about was Ikuto. It wasn't the romance-based fantasies that she used to be constantly thinking up; it was the thoughts of a concerned older sister.

She slowly put her hand in her pocket again to touch the piece of paper that Ikuto had slipped into her pocket while passing her on his way out. She couldn't help but feel worried, but a part of her was feeling smug that he had asked for help, and she hated that part to bits. What if he actually needed help with something? What if something serious had happened and he needed her? It was less than a month that Easter had decided to disband her contract, and even less for Ikuto. It wouldn't surprise her if Easter had threatened him to join their cult again – it wouldn't be the first time. She would never forget the time that Ikuto had tried to leave Easter, and neither would he.

She anxiously glanced at the clock and was relieved that it was forty minutes to one in the morning. A year ago she would've been gobsmacked that she had stayed up so late and would dive into bed, but now it was more natural than breathing. Being semi-nocturnal was part of the lifestyle of being an idol, and she knew it. But now she had priorities, and she had a schedule to boot. 'Yukari, I need to go.'

'Go to the bathroom later Utau, this is important!' Yukari growled, scribbling with more vigour. 'On the tour should you enter the stage from the stage wings, or should the lights turn on and BAM! You're there.'

'The second one sounds good to me. I have an appointment, and if I don't show up on time I'll feel horrible.' Utau admitted, feeling slightly self-conscious that she had said the truth so boldly out loud.

Yukari nodded. 'It can't be helped then. Return before three with some food – we need to head down to Osaka to set up the stage for everything. This tour will be the highlight of your fan's lives. We're leaving at four, so grab some clothes.'

Utau shot her boss and friend a smile and walked out of her apartment and down the shopping strip. She quickly ducked into a side street to shove on a huge purple hat with diamonds to cover her hair and some violet shades. When she walked back onto the street she looked like a completely different person. It wouldn't cross anyone's mind that the shadowy girl who just walked around the corner would be Utau Hoshina, the paparazzi's newest target since her mysterious move with her manager to a brand new agency. She snorted loudly; couldn't they just butt out for once? Honestly.

Utau's thoughts drifted to her manager. Yukari was changing. Only a month ago her boss had been cold and determined to catch the Embryo for Easter. She had lost all her morals, sensitivity towards others and had just been a horrid person to be around. She had cut all ties to her personal life and had started to drink until she lost majority of her memories of the previous day. Only her planner notes from the previous day could help boost her memory of the other day. To make matters worse, she had gone low enough to draw her own little brother into Easter's dark web of disasters. If Utau had asked Yukari for a break or even an appointment a month ago... the results would be disastrous.

But then again, the same could be said for Utau. The only difference was that Utau had been working for her family, not for a promotion and definitely not for a raise.

A month ago Utau had been a completely different person. The cold, hateful and bitter girl that she'd been had disappeared into nothing. Now, she had made herself a lifestyle that she loved and learnt a few things about herself – especially that she didn't love her brother. She looked up to him and admired him.

Utau peered at a store window and bit her lip to hide the smile that just wanted to break out. Despite her hat and glasses making her look, according to Yukari, 'like a depressed teenage delinquent' it was clear that she was far from depressed. Her whole face was beaming with silent joy.

Stepping into an alley, Utau walked past a huge cat sleeping in a cardboard box and was about to step onto the road and cross into the park when she saw the boy from yesterday's meeting in that exact park. Kurai? Kukai. His name was definitely Kukai. Usually if Utau saw someone that she knew, she would walk up and say something sarcastic to get their attention, but just by looking at him, she just couldn't bring herself to take his attention away from the soccer ball that he was juggling with his whole body. His chara was cheering him on while balancing his own little soccer ball on his head. Soon, she realised that it was a competition. A devious grin spread over her face; she liked competitions.

But Ikuto was waiting. Ikuto needed her.

Shaking the thoughts of the teen out of her mind, Utau tucked her hair into her hat, pulled the rim down and briskly walked past him. After going a far distance away, she turned around to see if she had destroyed his concentration. A small part of her shattered when he hadn't moved to see her walking past. He hadn't noticed.

'Just a jock,' she muttered to herself, while sprinting to Amu's house. Every step she took, the pain faded away into blissful nothingness. 'Just a jock,'

It was exactly twelve minutes to one when Utau arrived outside the Hinamori household. One second before she was about to press the doorbell, the door soundlessly swung open to reveal her brother.

'How did you know when to open the door?'

'For a dancing idol, your footsteps sound loud. Sensitive hearing, remember?' he replied after a yawn. 'Can we speak outside? Amu's finally crashed on the couch and you're bound to scream and wake her up.'

'I will _not!'_ Utau growled, before Ikuto clamped his hand around her mouth. Utau scowled, but reluctantly nodded. She followed Ikuto through two streets until he finally arrived at a small playground. Utau planted herself on a swing and Ikuto followed suit. They sat in silence for twenty minutes, and for once Utau was patient and didn't yell at him to hurry up. She knew that he was organising his thoughts, and it was hard for him to take the initiative to open himself up.

'Why isn't Amu asleep on her bed, instead of her bed?' she asked, to distract him. He would tell her, it was just a matter of time.

Ikuto smirked. 'She felt like watching Napoleon Dynamite, and fell asleep during the opening scene.'

Utau laughed for a second, until she frowned. Something wasn't right. 'What I meant was how would her parents let her crash on the couch? I'm sure as hell Mum wouldn't let us do such a thing if we were still living with her. And how are you, a male teenager, allowed to stay at Amu's house around one in the morning?'

'All of her family is in Tokyo to support Ami while she models some clothes. Amu was left alone.' he muttered. Utau slowly started to sway forward and back on the swing.

'So, you're staying with her? Is that what you wanted to tell me?' Utau sighed. 'If it was, I don't think planting a piece of paper into my pocket organising a rendezvous point in the early hours of the morning is one of the brightest things you've done.'

Ikuto flicked Utau in the middle of the forehead causing her to slap his hand, hard. 'Don't be stupid, there's more.'

Utau's ears perked up. 'Fair enough, but before that, why would you go to such lengths to stay at Amu's? You have your own apartment that I pay for,'

Ikuto stayed silent for a second before answering. 'Not sure. I don't think that I want to go back to my apartment.'

That made Utau stop mid-swing. 'What's wrong with it?'

'I'm a seventeen year old living alone in an apartment with a chara that's invisible to majority of the human race. Its quiet.' he muttered while running his hand through his silky smooth hair.

'Oh. If you're lonely I could invite a few musicians that will be playing for my tour to see you. You all use instruments so it's not that hard to make a few friends.'

Ikuto chuckled. 'Utau, don't make me play dates with people I don't want to know.' he stopped chuckling. 'Besides...'

'Besides...?'

'I only want Amu's company.' he stated. His eyes slightly widened, as if he hadn't known that fact before the words had passed his lips, and Utau knew it. Ikuto's subconscious had spoken the truth for him, and now Utau knew what Ikuto needed her for.

'Ikuto?'

'Mmm?'

'How do you feel about Tadase?'

Ikuto shot her a look. 'I don't swing that way, if that's what you're asking.'

'No, _no!_' Her cheeks tinged a light shade of pink. 'I meant how do you feel about him as a _person_. His personality.'

Ikuto frowned. 'Not much, really. He's Amu's friend so I try not to piss him off, but he just wants to shoot explosive beams at me from his wand whenever I'm around.'

'Now how do you feel about Amu, compared to Tadase?'

Ikuto froze and his breath cut off. Utau just smiled softly at his shocked expression. It was about time that he finally figured it out. 'You've fallen. Hard.'

'_It's pretty much my favorite animal. It's like a lion and a tiger mixed... bred for its skills in magic.'_

Amu blinked rapidly at the sunlight that seeped through the yellow curtains. She fumbled for the remote and switched the television off with a satisfying click. She was slightly disappointed that she had fallen asleep before the movie even started, but it couldnt be helped. There was always tomorrow. With a yawn she turned and snuggled into her warm pillow. The steady heartbeat of the pillow was so comforting and...Wait, what?

She slowly stood up and walked away from the couch. After she was a good ten steps away from the couch she turned around to confirm her suspicions. Her face burned with embarrassment when the reality of the situation she was in a few seconds ago hit. She had just been snuggling up onto Ikuto's chest. Before she could freak out and think about how relaxing and beautiful his heartbeat was, the sound of cards being shuffled loudly destroyed the silence.

Amu quickly grabbed her phone off the floor and flipped it open.

'Tsukasa, how can I help you?'

'Ah, Amu-chan. Today, you won't be able to meet up with me for lunch, so I'll check in with you on Monday. I promised your mother that I would check in with you after all.'

'Wait...huh? What d-'

'It would be useful to carry an umbrella. Goodbye Amu-chan.' he said, and with a click the line cut.

Amu sighed, but before she could even think about how that was going to affect her plans for the day, her phone rang with the sound of a whistle being blown. Within seconds she had it flipped open.

'What Kukai?'

Kukai's voice was broken up, and static filled her ear. 'Hinamo..., get to Seiy...igh... quick... with Ikut...'

'Kukai, I can't hear you _at all. _What the hell is going on?' Amu shouted into the phone. Ikuto sat up and stared at her with a befuddled expression.

'X-Eggs. Over fifty of them. All at school. Get down here with Ikuto _now_; it's useless just chasing them. We need our Joker.'

**Reviews and questions are loved. How about I trade one for a cookie?**


	12. Awareness and Voices

_I've seen enough now to know that beautiful things_

_Don't always stay that way_

_I've done enough to know this beautiful place_

_Isn't everything they say_

_They say that evil comes disguised_

_Like the city of angels_

_I'm walking towards the light_

_The River, Good Charlotte_

Ikuto didn't sleep. He couldn't, not when everything had changed. His whole life he had made sure that he didn't get involved with anyone so Easter couldn't use them against him, but now everything was different. Easter had fired him, removed him, and unintentionally freed him. And even though he knew that he was in the position to be in a relationship, he wasn't sure what to do. Should he suddenly declare his love to Amu the second she wakes up? Or better yet, wake her up at that exact moment, declare his feelings and seal the deal with a kiss.

What was a kiss, anyway? Essentially it was just lip-to-lip contact, but what made it so important? What made it so romantic and breathtaking? It was all just so baffling to him. How could he confess to her? How could he ever be good enough for her? Would the age difference really matter?

But then his conscience spoke up: _What if she doesn't feel the same way?_

Worry and horror pulsed through his body at the new scenario. What would he do if she didn't understand? What if she laughed? Or worse yet, what if her heart already belonged to another, and he was too late? What if she was in love with Tadase or Kukai or Kairi?

So when Amu turned around and snuggled into his chest, his hurricane of thought bubbled down to nothing. Bliss washed over him, and her silent even puffs of breath fanned his neck, making him want to smile. He hadn't felt that way in such a long time, and it was so strong... it had been forever since he had felt truly and one hundred percent happy. It didn't matter if Amu didn't feel the same way. He would pursue her, and show her just how much he... loved her. And if the worst scenario proved to be true and that she loved someone else... he would leave the country.

Irrational, maybe. Necessary, yes.

He could - possibly - stay around Amu and her chosen love for a while and 'be happy' for her, but only for a short time. But after a short time it would become too much to keep up the cheerful appearance while on the inside he would be feeling the sting of unrequited love at its worst. He would never become a bitter person towards her and the one that she loved. That thought just made him sick – How could anyone hate Amu?

So when Amu shot up and found out that there were X-Eggs in her school, Ikuto sat upwards with a face of determination. He was ready to fight for his family, his friends and his love.

'_Easter will never hurt her. Not now, not ever.'_

They raced towards Amu's school, expecting to interrupt a battle. What they weren't suspecting, was to see the Guardians all standing in the middle of the soccer pitch, while the Guardian Chara's all floated around the grass in utter confusion.

'Yo Hinamori!' Kukai called from the center of the field while waving a hand energetically. Amu narrowed her eyes menacingly and growled in the back of her throat. Ikuto grabbed her hand in an effort to calm her down, but to no avail.

'You're a dead man Souma. You called me at six in the morning for _this_? Whatever happened to 'There's over fifty of them! Help me Hinamori! We can't chase them all day, hurry over to school and help us!' Amu imitated in a high-pitched voice while throwing her hands in the air in frustration, loosing Ikuto's grip. For a second he looked hurt, but he brushed it off.

'Where are Tsukasa, Yukari, Yuu and Utau?' Ikuto asked while not making eye contact with anyone.

Amu nodded, 'That's what I want to know, along with what the hell is there fifty of? Manju buns?

Yaya perked up and clung onto Kairi's sleeve. 'Yaya likes Manju buns!'

Kairi took that moment to intervene before things got too out of hand. 'Tsukasa is at an unknown location – as usual. Yukari and Utau are on their way to Osaka, where they are setting up the lighting plans for the beginning of Utau's tour in several months time. Yuu is doing student reports at his home, and disconnected his phone so he didn't get distracted from the job.'

Amu nodded before staring at Kukai with a deadpan expression. 'What's your excuse? Why are we here?'

'Hinamori, Ikuto, look around the field. What do you see?'

Looking at the soccer field, it looked normal, like every other day. Usually it had Seiyo students playing soccer and half the school sitting in the bleachers that were recently set up for supporters and home games. Today, the bleachers were packed away in a supply shed and there were no spectators or soccer players. Instead Guardian Chara's just floated around the pitch in a panicky fashion. Only then did Amu see it.

On the grass, littered in no particular way, were dormant X-Eggs.

'I see it.' Ikuto murmured. Amu tilted her head in confusion.

'That's so obtuse. Usually X-Eggs fly around causing chaos and panic and hard work... Why don't they move?' She took a step forward, but a crutch slammed into her forehead, causing her to stumble back into Ikuto's chest. She took two steps forward with red stained cheeks, with a memory of the morning floating around in her mind.

Rima shot a glare at Amu, but after a second she gave her an apologetic glance. 'We don't know if they're dangerous yet... and it would be gross to pick up your scattered body pieces. Not funny at all.'

Tadase nodded in agreement and put his hands on Amu's shoulders. 'It wouldn't be the best move. Who knows what could happen?'

Amu just stared at Tadase in shock. Ran, Miki and Suu all glanced over their shoulders in concern. They could feel her emotions crackle and burn in intensity and frustration. 'Sorry in advance, but who gave you the godly power to foresee all the decisions that we could make at this exact moment? It doesn't matter what the best move is. There are X-Eggs, just chilling on our schools lawn! If they're not acting normal for an X-Egg – a Hearts Egg gone down the wrong road – what could be happening inside that Egg? What could be happening to the child without their Hearts Egg! It's our duty to protect them, and you know it.'

And with that, Amu shoved Tadase as hard in the chest making him topple into Kairi, who both fell onto the ground in a tangle of limbs. Rima laughed softly while Yaya flustered over the King and Jack, making them give each other apologetic looks. Kukai dived to grab Amu's wrist, but Ikuto moved to stand in front of her, blocking the grab and forcing Kukai to slam uncomfortably into his chest. Amu sprinted five steps away and was high-tailing it to her chara's when in the corner of her eye, blurred by the foliage of the trees outlining the forest area of Seiyo, she saw white. Not just a general white, but a distinct shade of white that had burnt itself into her memory.

Lab coats.

'Easter is here!' Amu screamed over the commotion that she had just created, making everyone halt in their tracks. 'We've been set-up! It's a trap!'

A string of curses was heard from the direction of the lab coats, and suddenly the dormant X-Eggs began to shake and tremble on the grass. The remaining chara's flew over to their owners, ready for anything.

'Amu, pick me.' Miki murmured softly, while flying over as fast as she could. Amu could see Yoru wandering over from the school to see if he could help out. And Amu understood. Miki wanted to show that she was just as good as Ran or Suu, even though she was picked less in public. Ikuto sprinted over to where Amu was standing.

'Ikuto, has Easter ever pulled a stunt like this?' she asked in a breathless whisper as she watched the X-Eggs roll upwards until they steadily shook and quivered as every single one all slowly rose into the air. To Amu's complete shock, Kukai was right. There were fifty of them, all scattered around the field and strategically placed. Easter _knew _that they were going to be positioned exactly in the middle of the soccer field, and that troubled her deeply.

'Never. I wasn't even aware that they could manipulate X-Eggs like this...'

'Great. Then this is their first move, and we've lost every chance of springing a surprise attack.' Despite the serious moment, Amu sighed. 'I'm disappointed. A small part of me hoped that Easter had given up on the hunt for the Embryo.'

Ikuto shook his head, while watching Yoru land on his shoulder. 'They won't stop.'

'That's why we have to put them in their place. We have to show them that they can't steal anyone's Hearts Egg and get away with it.'

Almost as if the X-Eggs disagreed with Amu's speech-like conversation, they began to spiral around the perimeter of the field, gaining speed. Only then did Amu look at the Guardians, and only then did Amu realise how vulnerable they were.

Only Kukai could Character Change. Tadase, Yaya and Kairi could only Character Change, and Rima wasn't able to do anything due to her injury.

'Suu, Character Transformation.' Amu muttered. Suu beamed and floated directly in front of Amu's face while Miki looked away sulkily, while watching Yoru Character Change with Ikuto.

'Leave it to Suu!' she cried, and with a cheerful wink a small burst of white light burst around them both. Suu wasn't one for showing off - she wanted to get the job done. Emerald clovers replaced Amu's X Clips and a wand with three circles shaped like a three leaf clover appeared in Amu's hand.

But Amu didn't feel that she could call it her hand anymore.

It was more like Suu's hand instead of her own, which always made her feel queasy, but today it felt more sickening than usual. Suu commanded her body now, Amu only was able to influence what she wanted to do – and that always scared her. What if Ran, Miki, Suu or even Dia decided to do something different while being in a Character Change or Character Transformation? What if they decided that they didn't _want _to stop the constant ecstasy that they felt when either of those changes happened? Even though Amu knew that her Chara's were based on herself, she couldn't help but wonder if her Chara's were as spontaneous as she was. If they wanted to be as free as she was, if they _craved _to be their own person, not just a Chara that will eventually fade away and smelt into their owners being once more.

'_A-Amu-chan? What are you doing? What's wrong-desu? I can't move! I can't undo the Transformation either! Everyone's looking at you...' _Suu's voice resonated through Amu's body, and she could feel that all her joints were locked up.

But then that's when Amu realised why she always felt so sick and scared.

The Guardians weren't looking or helping her at all - they were looking and helping a magical combination of Suu and Amu, and they only needed Suu, Miki or Ran. Amu wasn't completely needed at all. Whoever had the Humpty Lock could Character Transform with any other Chara - it was common knowledge with the Guardians. All they needed to know was how to utilise the Humpty Lock and they could all do so much more, be so much better, be so much stronger, defeat Easter...and then what?

And would the Guardians even be friends with her if she didn't have a Chara, let alone four? They only befriended her in the beginning because they wanted her to join their group that only consisted of students that had given birth to Chara eggs. And when she said no, they tried to trick her into joining by getting Nadeshiko to bribe her with friendship and silly pictures of Tadase. They wanted her for her power and dealt with her personality because they could only have both, not one. Who said that they even liked her anyway?

So what if all she knew was nothing at all? What if this was just a ploy, a way to get her on their side? What if Easter was the right side after all? What if the Embryo was just a stupid myth and it was really just a really clean Hearts Egg? What if, what if...

And with that, Amu knew that she had never felt more lost. Who said that having Chara's would help you become the person you want to be?

Amu forced her eyes closed while fighting Suu's will to keep them open. She bit her lip and to stop the tears that wanted to trickle down her face. Everything had changed again, and now she was beginning to doubt her friends.

_But who says that they're your friends?_

After that dark voice resonated through her mind – Suu's mind now or her own? – Amu opened her eyes to see that all the X-Eggs had escaped, and were only black specks fading into the distance. Suu fought the Character Transformation and burst out of the bond, floating shakily away to Ran and Miki with a shocked expression.

Amu fell to the ground, panting and rested her cheek on the dewy grass while slightly crushing it. Nothing was the same anymore. She had pondered on the things that she had fought not to think about, and now she had. She could hear everyone shouting and screaming for her – or were they really? The Guardians were a group ever since Year One in Seiyo's Elementary section. They were like a family by the time Amu had come along in Year Five – they could've formulated any plan. Were they concerned for her as a person or as an ally? Do they care for her as a friend or a tool? She regretted the loss of her innocent thinking; she couldn't help but second think everything.

How could she ever trust Tadase again? Was he only helpful and caring towards her because he pitied her? Or did he feel that he needed to be nice to her so that she would hang around? Everyone knew that she had liked Tadase when she first joined – did he feel that he needed to act like he felt the same until she felt just as passionate about saving X-Eggs as he did?

What about Kukai? He always was so goofy and into physical sports. He always took her out for ice cream to talk things through when she wasn't feeling her best. Maybe it was his role to find out how she was feeling and get rid of all her doubts to make her refocus on purifying X-Eggs. Did he actually care about her wellbeing, or was he just acting? Every Guardian member took Drama as an elective, and each one was a straight A student, including herself...

Could she trust Yaya? Yaya was always constantly cheerful, happy and possibly on a sugar high. She always wanted to feel special and be the baby of anything and everything. Did she feel special and included while fooling her into only choosing sides with the Guardians against Easter? Maybe it was her role to shout things associated with candy when things got awkward or too serious. Did she do it because she felt like it or did she do it on purpose to distract her?

What about Nadeshiko, her first best friend? Could she even trust her again? While making cookies, Ikuto dropped in to 'steal' Suu's egg and Nadeshiko over reacted and attacked him when they were having a moment. After they made cookies for Tadase, she was all for Amu to go to his house. It was at his house too that, in a way, she became a Guardian. Was Nadeshiko just setting the scene for her? And when Nadeshiko left, her reason for leaving was so sudden and hazy... Was she sick of lying and decided to stop the act by leaving? After all, she never sent emails apart from the occasional postcards – but nothing important or personal was ever written on postcards.

Could she even trust Rima? Rima always had been against Amu being in the Guardians. She kept putting Amu down and underestimating her in an attempt to get her to leave the group. Was she hinting Amu to leave for other reasons, not just because she didn't like her? Only when Rima had witnessed how Amu could purify X-Eggs had she accepted Amu's part in the Guardians. Was it because she saw Amu as a team player or because she saw how badly the Guardians needed Open Heart on their side?

Would she be able to trust Kairi, who had confessed to her? When Yukari and Kairi had gone for a trip home for a month last year, he had confessed his love to Amu at the airport. He had said: 'When I come back, I'll be a better person for you.' Did he mean that he would stop being a contributor in the deception towards her? Kairi always looked at the facts – did he agree with the way everyone was lying to her? If so, then why was he also joining in? Did he enjoy it?

Everyone was still panicking. Amu had closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing down. The grass was so solid and firm – so unlike her spiraling mind, but it helped her hear what was happening around her. Yaya was screaming and crying, and she could hear Kairi quickly spewing out reassuring facts that didn't make sense. Rima was shouting at Amu, screaming for her to get up and for Kukai to quit pulling her away. Amu figured that Kukai was holding Rima away from her, and couldn't say anything but take the brunt of Rima's violence while she was armed with crutches. After all, why would they want to damage their purification tool? She couldn't hear anything from Tadase. Amu imagined him to still be lying on the grass, shocked that she, the tool, had pushed him.

Firm arms carefully grasped her body and pulled her into their body. Thin, but muscular and had such a defined, manly and beautiful scent with a steady heartbeat that was different from all the others. Amu didn't need to wonder who it was. Ikuto was possibly the only person who she could trust in the world anymore. She knew that if she fell asleep in his arms, she would be safe from anything and anyone.

'_The greater good is for everyone and in every way,'_

Ikuto seemed to be the only person that she knew that was capable of honest thoughts and actions. He would be there to catch her when she falls, trips or even faints. But a little voice in the back of her head told her that telling Ikuto about how she felt about the Guardians wouldn't be a good idea. And since the Voice was right, she decided to stand by it. Now, thanks to the Voice, she knew the truth. Now she could make her own decisions without the Guardians or her chara's changing her mind. She was her own person now – and with that, the Voice grunted in approval.

* * *

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**There are some pretty awesome people out there in the Fanfiction world, and sadly I only get to know you through reviews! But reviews are awesome, so I dont mind. After all, awesome people have awesome means of communication! Adelaide (Sterling, really. Its in the Adelaide hills along with my aunts and cousins. I'm an Aunt now!) inspired me, and here it is!**

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	13. Visiting and Leaving

_It's monkey see, monkey do_

_Simon says play along but I don't want to_

_Who is he to tell me what to think and what to do?_

_It's always greed, greed, greed_

_How many Benjamins do you really need?_

_Don't want a puppet master pulling on my strings_

_The Next Worst Thing, 78violet_

Yaya still sat in the middle of the soccer pitch scowling to herself. Her tiny little fingers were pulling up each individual piece of grass in front of her, slowly ripping it to shreds, dropping it, and then repeating the process. She wasn't looking at her fingers, or even the grass- her gaze was focused on the main street that you could see from exactly the middle of the field, which happened to be exactly where she plunked herself. It was so relaxing to see various people walking past and rushing away.

She felt cold. Her lips twitched slightly, in amusement. She was _Yaya_, the Year Nine with boundless energy, a loud opinion and an intense addiction to sweets. One would think that such a person would never feel cold, even when the sun was out and attempting to warm the earth and all that touched it. But the truth was that Yaya didn't want to feel warm at that exact moment. She didn't wasn't to brush off this morning's incident and forget in the warm tendrils of sunlight. She wanted to stay in the frozen zone of reality for a little longer and think seriously. She wanted to ponder and think, like how everyone else seemed to do.

For the first time in a while, she had arrived early to the meeting because it was so chilly. Usually on such a morning, Yaya would go to Nadeshiko's house to help make sweets to bring to the days Guardian meeting. But since Nadeshiko was overseas, Yaya had decided to pick up a packet of cookies from a corner store and say that she made them, pick some flowers to put in the middle of the table and clean up the Royal Garden for when everyone arrived. _That way it will help Amu-chi and everyone relax and have fun while Yaya takes care of things for a bit,_ she thought while abstractly licking the corners of her mouth before biting the inside of her cheek. Usually Yaya would shrug off her chores and slack as much as she could while still being cute – babies don't _work! _– but lately she felt as if she needed to pick up the pace. After all, she was the youngest Guardian, being nine months younger than Kairi.

Her thoughts wandered towards her pink haired friend. She ripped a chunk of grass out of the ground and maliciously tore it to shreds in a huff of anger that finished quicker than it started. Even though everyone thought that she rushed through everything, Yaya saw a lot. Not things like Tsukasa's hoard of stolen paperclips from around the house or when her dad threw up all over the empty passenger seat after driving all the way to Tokyo – the important stuff. And recently she had noticed a lot about Amu. She noticed how Amu was always tired and was always late to class and slightly out of breath. Yaya saw how Amu was always asleep in class and always got perfect grades, even when her chara's had to pay attention in class so they could wake her up when her attention was needed.

And now Amu had something wrong with her. Everyone saw it. It was impossible to hide now, because something was just so horribly wrong. The X-Eggs that didn't move and had now escaped were bad enough, but the fact that no one could help was worse. Everything was a mess and everything didn't make _sense. _There _had _to be something missing, something crucial, something _important_.

When Yaya didn't understand something it annoyed her to no end. It was just as bad as... no. It was _worse _than people keeping secrets from her.

Yaya felt someone sit next to her. From the corner of her eye she could see it was Kairi. Usually Kukai or Nadeshiko sat next to her when things were going wrong, but for some reason Yaya wanted Kairi instead of both of them. She huffed and pulled out another piece of grass and began to slowly destroy it.

"At this rate, there will be a huge patch right in the middle of the field."

She gave a grim smile and moved onto a new clump of grass to victimize. "No one will care. Yaya takes care of the flower garden anyway, so she should be allowed to tear up some green stuff every once in a while."

Kairi nodded for a bit and settled into silence before he spoke again. Yaya continued to mutilate the grass. "Thank you."

Yaya looked at him funny. "For tearing up grass?"

"No." Kairi pulled off his glasses and cleaned them with the corner of his sleeve. Yaya took that little moment to appreciate how absolutely green Kairi's eyes are without glasses. They were so much sharper and deeper without the glass covering them. "I'm thanking you for preparing the Royal Garden. Usually I have to arrive early with a packet of cookies and some hastily cut flowers in case anyone uses the area, but this morning I forgot both only to find everything prepared in advance. The flowers are unique. In exactly two minutes we will all go to the Jokers house to check in on her and possibly have a meeting there."

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"For noticing."

Kairi smiled, stood up and walked away. Yaya felt a small grin creep onto her face and giggled softly to herself. _Class Prez can be so cute sometimes._

Instead of pulling up another piece of grass to destroy, Yaya settled with fiddling with the corner of her skirt and staring absently at the street. She was about to return to the Royal Garden to join the others on their way to Amu's house when a flash of purple caught her eye. Across the street she could distinctively see a boy with long straight purple hair jogging down the street. Yaya sighed and began to walk towards the Royal Garden. She wanted to see Amu as much as the others to make sure that she was okay and not seriously injured. It was times like these that she missed her sisterly dancing friend the most.

0ooooooooooooooooooooo0

Ikuto stared at Amu while she slept on her bed. All that was heard from the golden eyed teen was startlingly light breathing. He kept his hand around her hand, with one finger on her pulse to make sure that she was in a stable situation. Her steady, yet soft pulse was the only thing that was stopping him from leaning over her at a ridiculously awkward angle to make sure she was still breathing.

"Ikuto-nya, why don't we take Amu to the hospital-nya?" Yoru asked softly, not wanting to step into the tense situation that was still brewing.

Miki rolled her eyes at the question. "Tempting, but no - think about the aftermath. First, hospitals cost money and Amu's parents would have to be alerted to the situation in order for them to pay for the check up. And it's unnecessary, because Amu is strong and can sleep it off. It'll take ages, but if she sleeps uninterrupted, she should be fine."

Ran took a deep breath and sprung into the air. "Miki's right! Amu can sleep it off better than she flukes her tests!" She grinned and began to cheer loudly while flying around Amu's head. "Sleep, sleep, Amu-chan! Go, g-"

Her cheer was cut off by small hand. Ran was about to let out a war cry and crash tackle Miki for stopping her, when she realised that the hand wasn't Miki's at all.

"A-actually, Ran...I think we should all let Amu-chan be-desu. I think she needs some time alone." All the chara's – Amu's especially - stared at Suu in astonishment. Suu was always clingy when Amu was sick, so the fact that she wanted to make a run for it was shocking. "I ...I've seen things, Ran. Not j-just today, but before that-desu. She's so scared and unhappy. Worse than any X-Egg that all of us has ever detected and it's getting worse. "

Ran snorted loudly. "So Amu froze up during a Character Change. So what? There's a first time for everything, and she didn't mean to stuff it up anyway. And I'm one of Amu's chara's too, so I would know in an instant if she was even beginning to X herself out. She probably feels horrible about what happened before, and you want to _leave her alone?_"

A firm knock from the front door made everyone forget the quarrel and fell into silence, After a few moments of silence, the doorbell was repetitively rung. Miki drifted over to the balcony window and frowned.

"Do we want the Guardians here?" she asked with a dubious expression.

Ikuto didn't hesitate to answer. "No. Amu needs sleep, not visitors. For now, they can wait."

Rocks began to be thrown at the balcony window, making an alarmingly loud banging sound. They started to be thrown harder, but none of Amu's chara's seemed concerned that it would break. "We can see the lights are on in Hinamori's room, and there's no car in the driveway. If you don't let us in, we'll keep pressing the doorbell until it drives you insane!" Kukai shouted from outside.

Ikuto sighed and ran one hand through his hair. He didn't care if they camped outside until Amu was better, but Amu needed to recover. If they kept throwing rocks, pressing the doorbell and screaming outside she would have no chance of staying asleep. He carefully got up and closed the door behind him, made his way down the stairs and opened the door to see the Guardians.

Rima had tear stains on her face and her hair was a mess. Yaya looked depressed and was clutching a rock. Kairi was fidgeting with his glasses stiffly and was standing close to Yaya. Tadase was silent with shock and didn't try to smile or take charge. Kukai's eyes were fiery with determination.

There was silence, until everyone began to talk at once.

"Is Amu-chi okay?" Yaya cried, while clutching Kairi's arm.

"Where did you put Hinamori?" Kukai stated and made a fist with his hands.

"Did you hurt Hinamori-san?" Tadase whispered.

"What made you take the Joker away? Do you think we couldn't take better care of her?" Kairi asked quickly.

"I want to see Amu. You will take me to Amu, or so help me I will club you to a bloody mess." Rima threatened, with a glint in her eye.

"Shut. Up. And let him _speak_." Miki growled, while hovering in front of Ikuto. Rima was about to lunge forward and grab the chara out of air as fast as she could with a broken ankle, when Kukai slipped into the house. Everyone rushed after him, and they found themselves in the living room.

"Yaya thinks you need to explain yourself." Yaya muttered and made herself comfortable on the couch, dragging Kairi down with her. Rima sat down next to Yaya, and Tadase and Kukai sat down on the loveseat next to the armchair that Ikuto seated himself into.

"I've never been inside Amu's house." Rima muttered, while a coy smile made its way onto her face. She looked around the room. "It reminds me of her. The peach walls, the white counter, the colourful furniture mixed with the straw ones. It's almost perfect."

"I don't think anyone's been inside her house, apart from Nadeshiko. And that was only when she picked her up from school once." Tadase added softly, remembering how happy the previous Queen had been while coming to school with Amu that day.

"Amu is in her room, asleep, despite all the noise you five decided to make. And it's the way I'm going to keep it until she is better. If any single one of you attempt to try to make a run for Amu's room, I will Character Transform with Yoru and make you unable to move for a _very _long time." Ikuto said, making all the Guardians go pale.

He promised himself that he would _not_ let the Guardians wake her up. When Amu woke up, he was going to never let her out of his sight. This time she wouldn't be left alone on her X-Egg hunts. This time he would go with her. He needed to take responsibility and stop allowing Amu to face things on her own that she obviously needed help with - not just as a friend but as someone who loves her. He was about to smile at that until he noticed movement to his left. He turned his head stared at Ran, Miki, Suu and Yoru who settled themselves on the left arm of his armchair. "You four are supposed to be with Amu."

"We decided that we need to have our input here-nya." Yoru voiced. "Ran told me when you left us that Amu sleeps for hours and hours to get better when she's sick-"

"Actually," Ran butted in. "I said hours and sometimes days. By staying here for a bit, this way Suu gets a little of what she wants, and after the Guardians leave we'll give her silent company again." She smiled at her sister and Suu smiled gladly back. The Guardians looked confused about what they were talking about, but no one was particular to find out yet.

"It is preferable that everyone – humans and chara's – that were there could be here at the moment. Ran, Miki and Suu can replace Amu, since she needs to sleep. I think it would be a smart move to start a meeting here. That way, if the Joker wakes up, we can talk about what happened." Kairi decided. "Is that okay with you, King?"

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead," Tadase said meekly, and stood up. "I'll go make some tea."

Suu jumped at the chance. "I'll come too-desu. Don't start the meeting without us-desu!" she called to Kairi, who nodded. She hadn't made tea in ages, and there was just something so relaxing about the process. While walking with him to the kitchen counter, she peered over at Tadase. It looked like he needed to relax too.

When they got into the kitchen, Tadase sighed and leaned against the counter. "Suu, I actually came in here to have a moment in silence."

Suu nodded. "That's fine with me. You will find that you can make tea in silence. You will also find that it calms you down-desu."

Tadase chuckled darkly. "Despite all assumptions, I don't know how to make tea."

"Then I'll teach you. Against all assumptions and my being a chara that's a fairly good cook, Amu-chan _did _know how to cook before I was born." Suu murmured. "In fact, when she feels confident about it and has her heart in it, Amu-chan is almost my equal."

"If she is almost your equal in cooking, doesn't that mean that you should disappear soon, since her dream would be complete?"

Suu burst into a sheepish laugh, and rubbed the back of her neck. "Actually, I'm also very neat, tidy and like to fix things. Amu hasn't achieved any of those, and she tends to break things so I think I'll be sticking around. Now, are any chara's here apart from my sisters and Yoru?"

"No, they're in the Royal Garden looking for the Embryo with Kiseki leading them." Tadase answered, thinking of his strong headed chara.

"Then from the cupboard to the left with the white handle, I want you to take six large teacups and four really small teacups. Place them on the counter."

Tadase did as Suu asked and retrieved the tea cups. After doing so, he smiled. "The small ones are for the chara's and yourself, right? They look like they're from a dolls house."

"That's because they are. Amu took Ami and us to an antique shop four days ago. She found some cups there that were exactly our size, and since they're porcelain everything we drink from them won't taste like plastic. It was the same place that Amu got the doll house from a while ago. She ordered an extra set for the Royal Garden that she needs to pick up next week." Suu said proudly, thinking of Amu. Then she remembered what had happened, and decided to move the conversation along before she lived through the memory again. She flew over to the herb rack and pointed to the first glass jar on the second row. "Now put one teaspoon of tea leaves from this into the big teacups and three tea leaves into the small ones. The tea you will be making is chamomile, so it will calm everyone down. Its a form of sedative, so it should help a little bit."

Suu watched while Tadase grabbed the jar and took it to the counter. His hands shook while balancing the teaspoon full of tea leaves to the teacups. Suu perched herself on the edge of the counter and couldn't help but compare him to Amu.

Amu could be stubborn and rude, but she was amazing to watch in the kitchen. She would make cakes on a whim without following a recipe and usually created something better without meaning to. The way she moved confidently and naturally with every move showed in her cooking. When she enjoyed creating her food or was thinking of the person she was making it for, it always turned out brilliantly. Tadase on the other hand was never seen cooking or doing anything in the kitchen, and it showed in his actions. No cook would sweat over putting tea leaves in a teacup.

"Finished. We now need hot water, don't we?" Tadase asked, while pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and mopping his forehead.

"Yes," Suu replied. She hovered over to the stove and gave a deadpan stare at the metal kettle. _Forgot to put the kettle on,_ she thought to herself while eyeing the indicator on the side, notifying her that the kettle was already full of water. With a soft sigh she put her hand onto the metal and closed her eyes. In a few seconds she quickly removed her hand from the hot surface. "Tadase-san, could you pour some hot water into the teacups?"

Tadase quickly complied; while Suu picked out a pretty tray which she placed on the table and put on it the tea saucers for each teacup, a pot of honey and sugar, and a jug full of milk.

"Put the tea cups on the saucers to brew, and while it does, you are going to tell me why you needed some time out-desu." Suu demanded in a casual tone, making Tadase turn his head in shock.

"Excuse me?"

"I know you understand what I mean. Tell me. I taught you how to make tea, and now you're going to tell me why you've been so out of character recently-desu."

"Thank you and I appreciate it. But I really don't want to tell you."

"Too bad-desu." Suu sang in a sing-song voice.

Tadase sighed and buried his hands in his hair. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask. I...I feel that it's entirely my fault – what happened to Hinamori-san. I've noticed how tired she's been and how sluggish she's been. A while back I asked her out for ice cream when she looked like she wanted to be doing anything but! But I decided not to call her out on it and because of that she's in her current state. Amu has grown to be a sister to me and knowing that I could've prevented what happened is horrible. If only I had _done _something..."

Suu shook her head. "Tadase-san. I was in a Character Transformation with Amu-chan when she was...I'm not even sure what was happening, but I was there. And I know it had nothing to do with her being tired and slow. She just doesn't sleep as well at night as she used to-desu."

Tadase nodded to himself, and thought about it. After thinking it through her chuckled once and smiled at Suu. "Thank you Suu. I will keep that in mind. I guess since Hinamori-san pushed me and then such dramatic things happened, I over thought everything. Because of the event, I was under the assumption that she was sick or something."

Suu laughed. "That's silly thinking on your behalf. Amu-chan isn't sick in the slightest. Us chara's can generally pick up on when our owner is sick, since we spend so much time with them. Since Amu-chan has Miki, Ran, Dia and I to look after her, the chances of none us not being able to pick up on it is virtually impossible-desu."

"But Dia hasn't hatched yet. She can't do anything." Tadase mused to himself.

Suu shook her head, thinking of when she had seen inside her sister's mind. "Don't be so sure. Now go take the tea to everyone. It is rude to offer tea and provide it at a ridiculously long time after they have requested it-desu."

Together they returned into the living room, into an awkward conversation between Ikuto and Rima. Tadase walked around the room to hand everyone their teacups before settling down again next to Kukai, who was fiddling with his phone. Tadase accidentally saw that he was texting Utau.

"It's a nice day, isn't it?" Rima said, off topic. Before they had been talking about how useless algebra was in reality and before that they were chatting about how awkward it was to walk past someone related to you doing something embarrassing.

"I guess." Ikuto played off, while taking his cup of tea.

"You know what would make it better? Letting me see Amu." Rima stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No. She's sleeping." He replied without a thought.

Rima tutted and quickly fixed her hair, making it look messy in a cute way. "You _do _realise by not allowing me to see her, I'm just going to go there by force."

"Then I'll stop you."

"Then I'll kill you."

Both stared at each other, until Kairi broke the silence. "Actually, I think that it would be good for all of us to see Amu. Every single one of us are anxious. But doing so, it will relieve some of our stress about her safety." All the Guardians nodded and stood up until Ikuto placed his teacup down firmly.

"No." Ikuto groaned, while running a hand through his hair. Five angry faces turned towards him. "As much as I would like to allow you all to do that, I can't. Everyone will try to get near her and hug her, and wake her up. You can't wake her, or she will take longer to recover."

Yaya gasped and then smiled to herself. "Yaya gets it now. You don't want to take a chance on us interfering with Amu-chi's recovery because you want to see her get better as soon as possible. Yaya thinks - no. Yaya knows that Ikuto's in lo-"

"Actually, I'm being the adult of the situation since her parents are absent at the moment." Ikuto hurriedly butted in.

"Ikuto, where are they anyway?" Tadase asked out of curiosity.

"They...went to the supermarket and then to Amu's grandparents for the night." Ikuto stated, feeling a little irked that he had to lie so suddenly. _It's_ _better than saying: "Sorry for the inconvenience but they took off to Tokyo to get Ami photographed and famous. I don't know when they'll be back and neither do they."_ Ikuto thought to himself grimly.

"After that, they're dropping her cousin off at the airport." Miki added, knowing that the airport was a fair distance away and should prolong the lie.

"But Amu-chi's grandparent's live in Hokkaido! That will take over a week driving to get there!" Yaya cried. Ikuto almost laughed at Yaya's shocked expression.

Ran nodded in a serious way. "But its fine because Amu's parents speed."

"Yaya now wants to see Amu-chi even more. Ikuto let everyone see Amu-chi!"

"No."

"I respect that you can deny us access to our friend for such a long time, but it's time to give up. If you don't let me through, I am going to get Kairi to go all kung-fu on your ass by threatening to kill Yaya." Rima said while grabbing Yaya's shoulder.

"I only know the art of the blade, not Kung Fu..." Kairi trailed off, not quite understanding what Rima was trying to do. He wasn't sure if he wanted to.

"For the last time, _NO._"

"Ikuto." Kukai said while staring the blue haired boy intensely in the eyes. "Friends are the family that we choose ourselves. Hinamori is a part of our family, just as much as you and Utau are. We need to see her even if it's just peering through her open bedroom door to see how she's faring. Once we see her, we'll calmly go back downstairs."

The blue haired boy paused for a moment, and then sighed. "On those terms, I guess _one _look shouldn't disturb her too much..." he mumbled while he stood up, walked halfway up the stairs before pausing and looking at the still seated Guardians. "What, after all that effort you're not coming?"

They all rushed up behind him, while trying to take in every single detail of Amu's house in silent awe. Ikuto paused at Amu's door and spoke over his shoulder before twisting the knob. "If you wake her up, I won't be happy."

With a small click, Ikuto opened the door to reveal an empty room with the balcony door wide open that was firmly shut when he left. He rushed in and flung the doona off the bed to reveal a bunch of pillows in the rough shape of a human. He spun around and stared at the window in shock. The only thing that Amu seemed to have left was a red X left of the window in red lipstick with smudged words scrawled under it that was clearly in Amu's handwriting.

_Find another Marionette to replace me. You will no longer control me._

* * *

**Happy 2011 everyone, and especially to you rabbits this year! Happy Chinese New Year!...and I guess Happy Valentines Day too, huh?**

**I wanted to post this on the 11th of February, since its my birthday, but I couldn't resist posting it earlier.**

**So this is a...unbirthday present to you..? Yeah, its an unbirthday present to you! :D**

**School starts on Monday (AWMYGAWD I'M NOT ALLOWED TO WAKE UP AT MIDDAY ANYMORE!) so I might be lacking in the update area. Actually, probably not, because I'll probably use FF to procrastinate. Hm, well anyway, your covered for all the possibilities.**

**Vote on my poll. It concerns which story I should update more often.**

**Vote for this one if you love it!**

**Reviews are loved. So is constructive feedback on my writing and plot, but I'm not particular. How about I trade one for a cookie?**


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